Could SC students be banned from using cellphones during school days?

COLUMBIA, S.C. (WCSC) - Millions of students across the country pack the same items in their bookbags every day: binders, pencils, books, and, for many, their cellphones.

But next school year, all public-school students in South Carolina could be banned from using their cell phones during the school day.

A proposed temporary law included in the next state budget called a proviso, would prohibit student cellphone use during school hours in South Carolina public schools.

The spending plan’s details are still being worked out before it takes effect on July 1, but the proviso’s inclusion in the versions of the budget both the House of Representatives and the Senate passed so far mean there is a good chance this proposal ultimately becomes a reality.

“Our teachers don’t have time to be the cellphone police,” South Carolina Superintendent of Education Ellen Weaver said.

But teachers like Patrick Kelly say that’s what far too many educators are forced to do these days.

“Teachers right now that try to remove cellphones from the classroom are either, A, going to get a lot of blowback and limited support from those above them, or B, they’re going to be fighting the battle against cellphones the entire class period, which means they’re redirecting their time and effort away from what they should be doing, which is instructing students,” Kelly, a high school teacher in Richland County who also works for the Palmetto State Teachers Association, said.

Lawmakers in the House and Senate included the proviso at Weaver’s request.

It would direct districts to implement a policy that would prohibit cellphone use during school hours for students, with their state funding potentially on the line if they don’t comply.

The details of the policy itself would be left up to districts.

“Some schools might say no cellphones on campus at all during the day. Other schools may seek to invest in lockers,” Weaver listed as examples.

Weaver said this would cut down on distractions in the classroom so teachers can focus on teaching and help boost students’ mental health by disconnecting them from social media during school hours.

She said it could also make schools safer.

“The most important that a school can do and a student can do in the event of an emergency is be laser-focused on the adult who is seeking to get them to safety,” Weaver said.

Kelly believes this could also help address teacher retention challenges as the state grapples with a worsening educator shortage.

“If this will allow teachers to focus more time and energy on what they’re passionate about, what they’re trained to do, which is help our students reach their academic potential, then I think that drives up job satisfaction, which in turn will lead to greater retention of teachers in South Carolina’s classrooms,” he said.

If the proviso is included in the final version of the budget the legislature approves, it would still need to win the support of Gov. Henry McMaster, who would have the power to veto it.

But McMaster said he backs the idea and is surprised this rule is not already in place in schools across the country.

“It is a distraction in the classroom and shouldn’t be there, so that is a good idea,” the governor told reporters Wednesday.

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