Ohio Governor Mike Dewine and Lt. Governor Jon Husted met with teachers and administrators in Dublin, OH last week to discuss how cell phones affect students in schools. Educators overwhelming agreed that limiting cell phone access leads to positive outcomes in the classroom Governor Dewine agreed, but believes that change needs to originate within school districts, not legislation.
Educators See Success with Cell Phone Bans
Spectrum News reports that educators at the forum expressed similar sentiments as Principal of Northmont Middle School, Holli Gover. Grover enacted a ban that requires students to keep phones in their backpacks and turned off for the entire school day.
“We’ve seen that success of students actually talking and engaging with each other,” she said. “Negative scenarios during the school day are not recorded because they don’t have access to their phones,” said Gover. “And just the overall well-being and happiness of our students because they are not consumed from the moment they enter until they leave about what’s going on on social media.”
Dewine Agrees that Limiting Cell Phones Makes Sense
According to WKBN news, Governor DeWine said he’s convinced students perform better in school when phones aren’t available but admits a balance is needed between the desire to have phones in emergencies and what he claims is strong evidence that phones hinder students’ ability to learn.
“The data clearly shows that just having that phone in that classroom, even if you’re not looking at it but knowing it’s there, is a distraction,” DeWine said.
Some Parents Worry about Bans
While most parents agree that cell phones are a distraction, many worry about emergency situations. They want their children to have a way to contact them and/or authorities if they are in a dangerous situation such as a school shooting. They are also helpful for families coordinating pickups and communicating information about after school activities.
One-Size-Fits-All Policy Won’t Work
General consensus between educators, parents, and government officials seems to be that cell phone use should be limited, if not completely banned. The benefits of removing distractions from the classroom outweigh any security concerns. While Governor Dewine wants to see schools move more toward limiting cell phone use, he believes that the policies should originate from each district and not the statehouse.
DeWine said the trick is trying to find the right way to enact the rules, and that there is not necessarily a one-size-fits-all policy that works everywhere. On the other hand, he does not want to put the burden on Ohio’s teachers.
“It’s very difficult for an individual teacher to make a decision to ban cellphones in her or his classroom. I think it’s much better if it is made available at the building level and possibly at the district level as well,” said DeWine.
