HARTFORD, Conn — Gov. Ned Lamont is proposing a solution to curb distractions at school by removing student cell phones from classes.
But how effective would it be?
Lamont captured headlines when he referenced China and Beyoncé to preface his proposal to lock up student cell phones. He made the remarks during his state of the state address last Wednesday. Since then, people have been talking about it.
“Social media is sometimes fundamentally anti-social and I think too much smartphone makes you stupid,” said Gov. Lamont during his address. Lamont floated a ban on student cell phone use in schools, telling kids to put them in a pouch. “We will be sending out guidance to your school boards pretty soon,” added Lamont.
The Connecticut Association of Boards of Education says that guidance already exists. “We have policies. Model policies that we have provided to districts for many years,” said Patrice McCarthy, the Executive Director and General Counsel of the Connecticut Association of Boards of Education.
Some of Connecticut’s educational thought leaders agree a total ban isn’t a good idea. “I think these are decisions that need to be made at the local level,” added McCarthy.
Fran Rabinowitz, the Executive Director of the Connecticut Association of Public School Superintendents said, “I do think that this is best handled at the local level.”
And at the local level, Torrington and Manchester are already doing it. They are contracting with the anti-technology company Yondr to lock cell phones in a pouch at a cost of about $30 per student per year.
We found mixed reviews from parents and teachers. “Mobiles nowadays are part of our lives and locking things away just to get students attention I don’t think is the answer,” said teacher Lilia Borquez.
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“I absolutely agree with kids not having access to their cell phone while they are in school because they need to be more focused on their academics,” said Crystal Gordon of Hartford.
The case for locking them up includes less distraction, increased focus and interpersonal interaction and reducing social media bullying. “It may cut down on it, but remember they are going to pick up those phones at the end of the day and go home. I think we have to get to the root cause,” explained Rabinowitz.
The argument against a ban includes safety issues like quick access to communication in medical or other emergencies. The lack of school provided device connectivity in some underfunded districts remains a concern plus an extra burden on short-staffed schools to police another policy.
“We don’t want to put classroom teachers in the position of spending half the class making sure there are no cell phones hidden in someone’s backpack or jacket pocket,” said McCarthy.
Right now it’s still unclear if this ends up being simply a suggestion or a mandate and if the legislature would have to get involved. But the Governor’s office did file a bill.
RELATED: 'I hate it' | Middle school's new cell phone lockup policy is not sitting well with some parents
Matt Caron is a reporter at FOX61 News. He can be reached at mcaron@fox61.com. Follow him on Facebook, X and Instagram.
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