JEFFERSON CITY, Mo. (KCTV) – Everyone knows the sound of their phone getting a new alert by heart, but that distraction is exactly why lawmakers in Missouri are considering restricting cell phones in schools.
Missouri lawmakers say cell phones are too distracting in classrooms. They’re considering implementing a law that would require school districts to restrict the use of cell phones during class times.
Under this bipartisan legislation, a school board would have to come up with a plan that keeps students off their phones during class. The district would also have to explicitly outline what the punishment for using a phone out-of-line would be.
“We want to leave local control to decide what works best for their area,” said Columbia Democratic Rep. Kathy Steinhoff, one of the bill sponsors.
A study done by St. Louis University earlier this year showed that an overwhelming majority of Missourians support restricting cell phone use in schools.
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One possible route districts could take is the one Cape Girardeau Schools already implemented. Deputy Superintendent Dr. Brice Beck said their zero-tolerance cell phone policy has improved students’ participation and academic achievement since it was implemented last year.
“It’s a different feel when you go into our junior high and our high school,” Beck said. “You see peers interacting with peers, students interacting with teachers, there’s eye contact, there’s lots of interesting conversation.”
Students place cell phones in locked bags, so there’s no temptation to pull them out at any point.
“This is just one way for administrators, both building and district level, to take one of those pieces completely off the teacher’s plate,” Beck said.
St. Louis Rep. Kem Smith shared concerns for students during a threat or lockdown situation. She used the deadly shooting at Central Visual and Performing Arts High School two years ago as an example.
“I’ve been on lockdown with students who have survived that and their parents have wanted to talk to them while we were in lockdown,” Smith said.
This bill received overwhelming support on the House Education Committee. Lawmakers could vote a version of it out of committee as soon as next week, and then it would head to the full chamber.
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