In this Florida school district, some parents are pushing back against a cellphone ban

TALLAHASSEE, Fla. -- It’s nary astonishment that students are pushing backmost connected cellphone bans successful classrooms. But schoolhouse administrators successful 1 South Florida region moving to propulsion students’ eyes distant from their screens are facing immoderate guidance from different group arsenic good – parents.

Since nan opening of nan 2024 schoolhouse twelvemonth successful August, students successful Broward County Public Schools, nan country’s sixth largest district, person been barred from utilizing cellphones during nan schoolhouse day, including during luncheon and breaks, unless fixed typical permission.

The schools are immoderate of nan galore crossed nan state wrestling pinch really to ace down connected cellphones, astatine a clip erstwhile experts opportunity social media usage among young group is astir cosmopolitan – and that screen time is linked to higher rates of anxiety and depression among kids.

But a study sent retired by nan South Florida schoolhouse territory earlier this autumn recovered that of nan much than 70,000 students, teachers and parents surveyed, astir 1 successful 5 parents judge nan cellphone prohibition is having a antagonistic effect connected their student’s wellbeing.

Among nan apical concerns for nan students and parents surveyed is not being capable to pass pinch their family members, particularly successful an emergency — an worry that cuts heavy successful nan territory that’s location to Marjory Stoneman Douglas High School, wherever a 2018 shooting killed 17 people.

District officials person said students tin usage their phones during an emergency and that teachers person nan elasticity to assistance kids entree for different reasons too.

“I don’t deliberation immoderate of america thinks kids should beryllium connected their phones during class,” said Erin Gohl, a genitor and advocator successful nan district.

“We’re really talking astir giving kids devices during those times erstwhile they request it,” she added, including letting students usage their phones for “positive intelligence wellness purposes”.

Officials successful nan Fort Lauderdale-area territory person acknowledged that implementation of nan argumentation has been inconsistent. Some teachers person struggled to show students’ telephone use, and are facing nan reality that for immoderate kids, phones tin beryllium a needed instrumentality to entree online lessons and move successful assignments, particularly for those who don’t person a school-issued laptop. And parents person based on their students are amended disconnected pinch their phones, helping them coordinate day pickup times aliases matter their parents for proposal astir a schoolhouse bully.

“I don’t expect students to opportunity — aliases parents of precocious schoolers to opportunity — right, that, they don’t want their kids to person cellphones,” said Howard Hepburn, Broward superintendent of schools. “The anticipation that we’re going to conscionable person a difficult extremity is not reality. It takes time.”

Landyn Spellberg, a student advisor to nan Broward schoolhouse board, said location are a batch of benefits to phones — and that nan district's broad prohibition isn't helping students pinch thing galore adults still struggle with: learning really to usage exertion successful a patient way.

“I deliberation it’s important that we thatch students astir nan negatives,” he said. “We don’t pass students of those things.”

___ Kate Payne is simply a corps personnel for The Associated Press/Report for America Statehouse News Initiative. Report for America is simply a nonprofit nationalist work programme that places journalists successful section newsrooms to study connected undercovered issues.