Charlotte educators laud North Carolina's cell phone ban
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Gov. Josh Stein spoke with teachers at East Mecklenburg High School Tuesday about cell phones in the classroom. Photo: Ashley Mahoney
North Carolina educators say students are no longer buried in their phones and are more likely to be social in class, following the recent passage of a cell phone ban in schools.
Why it matters: The policy, which prohibits students from using their phones during instruction hours, aims to improve educational outcomes by minimizing distractions. But opponents have voiced a range of concerns, including the need for student communication during an emergency.
Driving the news: North Carolina Gov. Josh Stein met with six East Mecklenburg High School educators in Charlotte on Tuesday to discuss the effects of the ban, which he signed into law last summer.
- Local boards of education were required to begin enforcing it on Jan. 1.
How it works: Each teacher gets to decide how they want to enforce the new policy. A phone may remain in a student's bag. Some teachers have students put their phones in a box or in separate bags.
- Others use phones as a means of taking attendance, by having students place their phones in a hanger at the front of the room, meaning the teacher never actually touches the phone. Teachers also acknowledge that not every student has a phone.
- Students may have their phones during lunch and non-instructional time. Some teachers
The other side: Some people have argued that not allowing a child to have their phone is a safety issue. Frieda Ibarra, an East Mecklenburg counselor, countered that concern by using an example of the school being on lockdown. "God forbid you need to be as quiet as possible and your phone is going off," Ibarra says.
- "Although there are a lot of arguments as to how it doesn't allow for communication freely with our loved ones, there are so many benefits with the cell phone policy in education settings," Ibarra says.
- The round table Tuesday featured just educators. It is unclear if Stein heard from students about the band during his tour of the campus.
The big picture: Previously, setting a standard for phones in schools wasn't consistent from classroom to classroom. Some teachers allowed them. Others did not. It became a tug of war between the teacher and the students.
What they're saying: "When a phone isn't in front of you, you're less likely to be distracted," Kaylen Forney, an East Mecklenburg High math teacher, told Stein.