Gov. Josh Stein is creating a new council to focus on student safety and well-being. The first priority: Cellphone use in classrooms.
Stein announced the new initiative Monday during a visit to Moore Square Middle School.
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“This has a specific charge of coming up with recommended policies for school systems to adopt as it related to making schools cellphone-free zones,” Stein said.
The group will include legislators, school leaders, mental health professionals and public safety officers. He said the council has until June 1 to come up with a model policy.
“Too many young people are distracted during class because of their cell phones; too many are experiencing mental health challenges because of social media, depression, anxiety, weight loss. Bullying - whether physical or emotional, whether in person or online - is a widespread issue that affects too many of our young people,” Stein said. “Incidents of violence - whether from other students or in very tragic cases, external threats - have highlighted the vulnerabilities that exist within our schools.”
Sixth-grade English Language Arts teacher Justin Kram said the administration at Moore Square Middle School has done a good job of laying out expectations for students. Most students, he said, respect the rules.
“Even though that’s the case, [a phone] still goes off in class; it’s still drawing their attention. I’m good at what I do, but I can’t compete with that,” he explained. “It’s still proving to be a distraction, even if it’s not in their hands. It’s near them. Some part of them remains aware that it’s near them.”
Kram believes the best policy is to have a check-in system for phones.
“You check your cellphone into a designated location when you enter the building and then you get it on the way out,” he said.
Moore Square middle schooler Vivian McLaurin agrees.
“It’s not a big deal. We’re already not really supposed to be on our phones at school,” she said. “I think a really good policy may be when we get to school, somewhere we can put [phones] in.”
Some North Carolina districts have taken that step by using so-called Yondr pouches. Schools across the state and the country are grappling with the issue.
State lawmakers in the House and the Senate are considering a statewide cellphone ban. Stein said he supports their efforts.
“Teachers in schools where this has happened report that student attention is much greater, student retention is much improved. Students report that after the initial discomfort…report that when they go to the cafeteria, they now talk to the person across the table rather than looking at their phone,” Stein said.