Kentucky Bill Introduced to Stop Student Cell Phone Use in Schools

I can't remember the exact year I got my first cell phone, but I know it was before my 16th birthday. It was one of those Nokia "bricks" that will probably survive a nuclear disaster. I also don't remember it being much of a distraction during school. Of course, all you could do on those things was call, text, and trigger a fit of rage while playing the "snake" game.

We are living in a totally different world now where kids have never known life without their grown-ups or themselves having a cell phone on them 24/7.  Of course, we all are aware of the benefits or we wouldn't all have them, but boy do they have a whole assortment of challenges that come with them.

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Even as adults, we find ourselves glued to our little screens for updates on sports, world events, and drama on social media.  I can't imagine what the struggle is like for students and teachers in school. Every school handbook these days has a section on the use of technology while on campus/school grounds, and some schools have started requiring phones to be kept in lockers.

House Bill 383 was introduced last week by Rep. J. Bray and Rep. J. Tipton regarding the use of cell phones in schools. The summary reads, "Amend KRS 158.165 to require local boards of education to adopt a policy to, at a minimum, prohibit student use of a personal telecommunications device during instructional time with specific exceptions." So while most schools already have technology guidelines when it comes to classroom use, this would make sure they all do.

Something I found funny was when a high school teacher friend of mine once noticed it was actually her students' parents who would text them during the day vs. their friends. Before that, I would have thought all parents would be against cell phone use at school. As much as I like to chat with my kiddo, I want him to be focused on learning while he is in class. I personally think the "leave the phone in your locker" rule is a good idea. However, in this day and age, having phones available in case of a lockdown or emergency feels necessary too, unfortunately.  What do you think about kids having access to their phones at school?