LOS ANGELES (CNS) — Students in the Los Angeles Unified School District returned to classes on Tuesday with a major new rule in place — a ban on cellphones in classrooms.
The district’s board passed a resolution in June in a 5-2 vote calling for a prohibition on students’ use of cellphones and social media throughout the entire school day.
Board member Nick Melvoin said the resolution is aimed at combating cyberbullying and promoting focus and concentration in the classroom. The proposal cited research indicating the impacts of excessive cellphone use associated with increased stress, anxiety, depression, sleep issues, feelings of aggression, and suicidal thoughts in adolescents.
Individual campuses can choose to have the phones locked up in special containers purchased by the district or instruct students to store them in their backpacks. Items like smartwatches and smart glasses are included in the ban.
The policy allows for some exceptions, including students who need phones for translation purposes or learning disabilities.
Some parents are balking at the idea, saying they want their children to have access to phones in case of emergencies.
The resolution. which was co-sponsored by board members Jackie Goldberg and Tanya Ortiz Franklin, contends that students’ use of cellphones “can stifle meaningful in-person interaction and enable cyberbullying.”
Superintendent Alberto Carvalho said that the cellphone policy is designed to help students focus and concentrate during class time.
“There will be fewer distractions. Students will be able to actually lift their faces from their cell phones and visually, socially interact with their age appropriate peers in their schools,” said Carvalho. “We’ll be able to restore the joy of being a child back to kids.”
