Under Senate Bill 106, Delaware’s schools need to create strict phone policies by August 1. The new law aims to stop classroom disruptions by making public and charter schools put clear rules in place.
Teachers are seeing major problems. A statewide survey shows phones are causing chaos in high school classes – 72% of teachers say they’re their biggest problem. Even more concerning, 61% say students using phones seriously hurts learning.
Schools have to make detailed plans that spell out allowed uses, punishments, and get teacher input. The bill keeps student safety in mind, letting kids keep phones for health reasons and emergencies.
This push started when teachers spoke up during appreciation events. Talking to lawmakers, Sen. Eric Buckson stressed, “We need to balance local control while taking action to reduce distractions and support a healthy classroom environment.”
Research shows that limiting phone access helps students do better in school, especially struggling ones. But results differ greatly between schools that strictly enforce their rules and those that don’t.
Look at New York – they got rid of statewide rules after seeing rich and poor areas enforce them differently. Meanwhile, Arkansas, California, and Florida just started new efforts to crack down on phones in class.
Each school must write specific rules about when phones can be used. Staff from all levels will help enforce these rules.
While trying to help students focus better through common rules, past tries in other states show policies need to work fairly for all students to make a difference.
