All eyes are on Pickens County after Monday night’s school board meeting, where the proposal for a cellphone ban fell through.
Board members cast a 3-3 vote against the policy, which may affect their state funding. All school districts in South Carolina are required to have a policy in place by 2025, as mandated by the S.C. Board of Education.
“I know personally I follow my child around the school. I use ‘Find My iPhone,’ and I look in that phone to see where my child is in the school building. And I’m sorry, but that’s technology today,” school board director Amy Williams told Fox Carolina.
The school board was scheduled to hold another meeting Nov. 22 to revisit the topic and vote again.
Here’s what to know about the state’s school cellphone ban as students head into 2025.
What does State Board of Education’s proviso say?
To ensure students focus on learning, the State Board of Education adopted a policy prohibiting the use of cellphones during the school day, as required by Proviso 1.103 in the S.C. 2024-2025 budget. The policy was adopted on Sept. 10, 2024, with the proviso stating the following:
“1.103. (SDE: Anti-Bullying/School Safety) To receive state funds allocated for State Aid toClassrooms, a school district shall implement a policy adopted by the State Board of Educationthat prohibits access to personal electronic communication devices by students during theschool day. For purposes of this provision, a personal electronic communication device isconsidered to be a device not authorized for classroom use by a student, utilized to access theInternet, wi-fi, or cellular telephone signals.”
On June 27, the SBE released a memo stating local districts were required to adopt a local policy, which must be implemented no later than the beginning of the January 2025 semester. Failure to do so may result in the state withholding school funding.
“As Superintendent Weaver recently wrote in the Post & Courier, dealing with the issue of cell phones in school is the single most practical step we can take to refocus student learning, address student mental health needs, increase school safety, and help teachers enforce classroom discipline.” said the memo. “SCDE looks forward to partnering with each district to implement this meaningful move forward for the academic and behavioral flourishing of students and teacher retention.”
What key definitions must be followed by districts in SBE’s proviso?
∎ Personal electronic device, referred to as “device,” means any device utilized to access the internet, Wi-Fi, cellular telephone signals, or to capture images or video. This includes, but is not limited to, cellphones, smart watches, tablets, and gaming devices.
∎ Personal electronic device accessories, referred to as “device accessories,” include any wired or wireless accessory or wearable technology that connects to a device and any other accessory commonly used in conjunction with a personal electronic device.
∎ School day is defined as the period of time that a student is present on the school campus from their arrival (i.e., tardy bell) until afternoon dismissal at the end of the instructional day. This policy may also apply to school buses, field trips, and athletic events, at the district’s discretion. The applicability of this regulation to these activities will be determined by the school district.
∎ Access is defined as viewing, holding, wearing, or otherwise using a device for the purpose of communication, internet access, gaming, recording, or any other function commonly associated with devices. During the school day, devices should be powered off and stored as directed by the school district. Exceptions granted for medical necessity, authorized for classroom use, or other authorized reasons should be in writing and are not considered violations of this definition.
Nina Tran covers trending topics for The Greenville News. Reach her via email at ntran@gannett.com.
