Ohio’s new two-year, $60 billion state budget includes a ban on cell phones in K-12 schools. It’s now up to the individual schools to implement the ban — with many of them adopting the new policies at the start of the school year.“Our policy kind of shifted when we realized that we really wanted kids to be focused on their instruction during the day,” said Alesia Smith, deputy superintendent for Cincinnati Public Schools.We’re just a month away from the start of the school year for Cincinnati Public Schools. School officials are working on expanding their cell phone use policy, like other schools across the state.“We did for Yondr pouches last year with grades seven through 12, and so this year, we’re doing it again with our middle schools and our high schools,” Smith said.Smith says students place their cell phones in a pouch at the start of class, allowing them access when they need it while limiting distractions.“We don’t want them to feel like they don’t have access to what they need, but they have computers,” Smith said. “So, if there was something that they needed, they could use online at school that way. So, we’ve had the policy in place now, for us now going into year three.”The statewide ban drew mixed reactions when Gov. Mike DeWine announced it during his State of the State speech earlier this year. The standalone bill was later added to the budget, which will take effect at the start of the new year.“They did not give us any guidance, and when I was reading through what the governor said, he just said a ban,” Smith said. “But each district had to cite what they were going to do.”While some parents have praised the ban for limiting distractions in the classroom, others have said it threatens student safety.“I understand both sides of it,” Smith said. “Immediately, our communications team is on it. Robocalls coming out, webpage is being done, something is put on social media so that they know exactly the steps that we’ve taken to make sure that their children are safe.”
Ohio’s new two-year, $60 billion state budget includes a ban on cell phones in K-12 schools. It’s now up to the individual schools to implement the ban — with many of them adopting the new policies at the start of the school year.
“Our policy kind of shifted when we realized that we really wanted kids to be focused on their instruction during the day,” said Alesia Smith, deputy superintendent for Cincinnati Public Schools.
We’re just a month away from the start of the school year for Cincinnati Public Schools. School officials are working on expanding their cell phone use policy, like other schools across the state.
“We did for Yondr pouches last year with grades seven through 12, and so this year, we’re doing it again with our middle schools and our high schools,” Smith said.
Smith says students place their cell phones in a pouch at the start of class, allowing them access when they need it while limiting distractions.
“We don’t want them to feel like they don’t have access to what they need, but they have computers,” Smith said. “So, if there was something that they needed, they could use online at school that way. So, we’ve had the policy in place now, for us now going into year three.”
The statewide ban drew mixed reactions when Gov. Mike DeWine announced it during his State of the State speech earlier this year. The standalone bill was later added to the budget, which will take effect at the start of the new year.
“They did not give us any guidance, and when I was reading through what the governor said, he just said a ban,” Smith said. “But each district had to cite what they were going to do.”
While some parents have praised the ban for limiting distractions in the classroom, others have said it threatens student safety.
“I understand both sides of it,” Smith said. “Immediately, our communications team is on it. Robocalls coming out, webpage is being done, something is put on social media so that they know exactly the steps that we’ve taken to make sure that their children are safe.”
