States Take Varied Approaches to Curbing Cell Phone Use in Classrooms

Alexandria, VA —In response to widespread teacher and school leaders’ reports about cell phone distractions in classrooms, 31 states and the District of Columbia have recently banned or restricted students’ use of the devices during the school day. Others let districts decide. Yet a new NASBE policy update suggests that such measures alone may not address the full range of harms to student safety and mental health arising from risky online behaviors—or equip students with the digital literacy skills they need.

The analysis highlights a variety of state approaches to personal device use in schools:

• Alabama enacted a complete ban on students’ use of wireless communications devices during the school day.
• North Carolina requires districts to eliminate or restrict device use during instructional time.
• Colorado requires districts to adopt policies, without specifying what those policies entail.
• After seeking the input of teachers, students, and parents, Connecticut’s state board adopted a position statement and policy guidance encouraging limits on cell phones and smartwatches to improve classroom engagement and social interaction.
• The DC state board adopted a resolution to eliminate cell phone use during the school day.
• Kansas convened a blue-ribbon task force that made recommendations for districts’ policies.

Input from stakeholders also suggested that cell phones offer valuable supports during the school day, especially for students who might not have access to other forms of technology, English learners in need of translation, or students with disabilities or medical needs. Thus, the most effective policies may be flexible frameworks that evolve with community input and accommodate ways to create vibrant, distraction-free classrooms without shutting the door on student, parent, teacher, and local needs.

“When paired with media literacy education and shaped by student, teacher, and parent input, these policies can create healthy learning environments without disregarding equity or access,” writes Naomi Porter, NASBE policy intern and student at Vanderbilt University.

Read “Curbing Cell Phone Use in Classrooms.”

NASBE serves as the only membership organization for state boards of education. A nonpartisan, nonprofit organization, NASBE elevates state board members’ voices in national and state policymaking, facilitates the exchange of informed ideas, and supports members in advancing equity and excellence in public education for students of all races, genders, and circumstances. Learn more at www.nasbe.org

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