Arrow Perspectives: The School Smartphone Ban Debate

With the precipitous rise in smart phones and social media by K-12-aged children, many states are enacting laws and policies aimed at restricting – or even banning – phone use in schools.

There are varying degrees of restriction by state and across districts, from complete “no-use” policies, to regulating phone use through “pouches” or “cellphone hotels” intended to restrict access to phones during class instruction.

Currently about 15 states have introduced or passed phone-use laws, and several more, including New York and Massachusetts, are seeking to enact laws limiting phone use in school.

Arrow Security speaks with many stakeholders about school safety issues across the Northeast, and to help further the discussion, we offer the following bullets to help all readers better understand this topic, and what’s at stake.

• About 90% of teachers support prohibiting phone use during instructional hours, with about 75% supporting full school-day restriction, according to the National Education Association
• About two-thirds of parents believe some form of restriction should be implemented (below)

Most Adults Support Some Form of Phone Restriction During School Session

• However, there’s a significant divide in what the restrictions should look like. For example, many parents (about 75%) believe their children should have access to phones in case of emergency. About half believe kids should have some access to phones to help coordinate transportation/changes in schedule, according to the National Parents Union
• Approximately nine in 10 public schools report occurrences of cyberbullying through smart phones among student, according to the U.S. Department of Education
• From a public health perspective, there’s simply no conclusive evidence on the subject. Many believe there’s legitimate reasons to limit phone use due to adolescent mental health concerns, despite there being no concrete medical evidence. Several global studies suggest that phone bans had no adverse impact on academic achievement or social factors. Opponents, however, refute this position by citing banning phone use actually increases disruptive behavior
• Furthermore, there’s a socio-economic consideration. Do phone bans hurt lower income students & districts disproportionately compared to their more affluent counterparts?
• Enforcement also presents challenges for teachers and staff who may observe prohibited phone use, but may not have the protocols or means to effectively stop it

For now, the debate rages on.

“One thing is certain: a one-size-fits-all approach is unlikely to achieve the desired results,” says D. Paul “Chief” Waltz Jr., SVP of Client Engagement at Arrow, a retired Chief of Police (New York State University Police) with over 45 years of professional law enforcement experience, and 18 years as a current Board of Education member.

 “Each district is unique, and the only way to achieve harmony and safety is through stakeholder engagement, relying on facts and intelligence from those who encounter our children every day – the teachers, the staff, and the parents,” say Waltz.

But what can be done in the meantime?

A variety of technology solutions can offer methods for intelligently limiting certain types of phone use during instruction, without sacrificing the more crucial communications with parents and family members.

Some schools have even established student body counsels in order to better understand the perspectives of children directly impacted by these phone bans.

Outside the classroom, a physical security presence can help ameliorate use over time as security personnel and administrative staff collaboratively report, engage, and ultimately discipline phone use by insubordinate students.

In the end, we can all agree that the most important thing is how can we find constructive ways to make our schools safer for everyone, especially the students.