LOUISVILLE, Ky. (WAVE) – Students using cell phones at school has been a hot topic and, while a potential statewide cell phone ban in schools has been proposed in the Kentucky general assembly, Jefferson County Public Schools (JCPS) leaders say they’re not waiting to take matters into their own hands.
During the Feb. 25 JCPS school board meeting, board members expressed they would want to see a new policy proposal from the district by May so that it could be implemented by the start of the 2025-2026 school year.
“We know that there’s a national mental health crisis in children under the age of 18 caused, in part, by social media, caused, in part, by overuse of cell phones,” board member James Craig, said. “We know that cellphones have proliferated our schools. We know that cell phones are a constant distraction inside our classrooms and our teachers are clamoring for help. We need to do something about this and we need to do something about this soon.”
And it’s that call for help that’s driving JCPS leaders to push for a cell phone ban in schools. The Jefferson County Teacher’s Association (JCTA) surveyed teachers to get their thoughts on this issue. Almost 80% of those surveyed said phone use in class is harmful to safety in a school environment.
“Teachers also overwhelmingly reported that it’s not easy for them to manage student use of cell phones in class,” Maddie Shepard, president of JTCA, added.
JCPS already has a policy that states students can’t use their cell phones while they’re at school, but leaders with the district said enforcing that policy is the biggest challenge.
“The policy that we have predates 2014,” Craig said. “It’s more than 11 years old. The use of cell phones today is much different than it was then, so we need to adjust our approach.”
That’s why JCPS is looking at Fern Creek High School, which is already a phone-free zone all day. Students there put their phones inside a pouch at the start of the school day and don’t take them out until school dismisses at 3:20 p.m. Principal Rebecca Nicolas said coming up with the policy and enforcing it was a result of team work.
“There will be difficulties. There will be challenges. It will test you,” she mentioned. “We’re here to ensure teaching and learning happens and this isn’t really that. So you’re going to have to be distracted from some of your other work, maybe, for a little bit, but I think the payoff is that students are happier. They seem healthier. They are more engaged with each other. They’re more engaged with the adults in the building.”
Superintendent Marty Pollio said buying pouches like the ones Fern Creek has for every JCPS school would cost the district somewhere between $2-3 million. However, school leaders said cell phone bans may look different in every school.
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