HONOLULU (Island News) — With everything being in the palm of our hand, it is easy to get distracted.
One student, Logan Ohtani, said, “I think when you have your phone on the table, on your desk, you’re just gonna have this instinct to pick it up.”
According to a state survey at the end of last school year, 95% of teachers believe cell phones are distracting to kids.
The Hawaii Board of Education came together to review the results of that survey.
Parents and students had their moment to voice their argument.
“I think just getting rid of the phone in general, I think will also help,” said Ohtani.
Some argue that it goes for adults too.
Susan Pcola-Davis said, “Let’s be real, we have cell phones in the workforce doing the same exact things, and we’re adults. It’s not that it’s right or wrong, it’s that it is to enforce something. I trust the teachers. I trust the administration.”
According to Teri Ushijima from Hawaii State Department of Education (BOE), there were over 24,000 survey responses.
There was also full participation from all their schools.
85% of those schools already have rules on cellphones that are mostly restrictive.
Hawaii is one of four states that do not have a state wide school cellphone policy.
If there was, people question how a policy could actually be enforced.
So at the end of the day, are they harmful or helpful?
That question is to be determined.
Bill Arakaki, BOE member and Kauai representative, said, “I just want to make sure that people really understand that this is just the start. We do have processes in which, as a board to really look at, but we want to get input and understand what everybody’s saying, and then we will decide what we’re going to do as a board as far as a policy development as it comes up.”
There was no final verdict, however the Board of Education encourages the public to submit their input.
You can do that at the link below:
boe.hawaii.gov/submit-testimony/submit-testimony-student-achievement-committee/
