A new state law prohibits elementary and middle school students from using their cellphones at any point during the school day.
“Those phones can be taken away,” Palm Beach County Schools Superintendent Mike Burke said on Aug. 8 as he addressed back-to-school issues. “They can be sent to the office and held till the end of the day until the parent retrieves it. So we will be taking those measures.”
District policy stipulates that middle and elementary school students must power off cellphones and put them away upon entering school property. They can’t use them at any point during the school day, including between classes, at lunch or on restroom breaks.
New cellphone rules for elementary, middle school kids
The new state law, which has an exception for medical emergencies and for students with individual education plans, does not change the rules for high school students. They can use their phones outside of instructional time such as between classes and during lunch.
The phones must be put away during instructional time unless a teacher directs a student to use one for educational purposes.
The cellphone rules for all students apply to smart watches, smart glasses and any other wireless device. If the rules are violated, the wireless device can be confiscated by school personnel, and the student can face discipline.
Two years ago, Florida became the first state in the nation to ban cellphone use during instructional time despite the concerns of some parents, who worried about making it more difficult for students to use their cellphones during an emergency like a school shooting.
Some teachers have said the high school prohibition against cellphone use during instructional time is unevenly enforced and that the phones remain an obstacle to teaching and learning.
Should high schools have ‘bell to bell’ ban?
Palm Beach County School Board member Edwin Ferguson has argued in favor of extending to high school students the “bell-to-bell” ban in place for middle and elementary school students.
“I’m definitely in favor of us creating a policy that prohibits cell use at the high school level as well, and here’s the reason why: It is a huge distraction,” Ferguson said during a board meeting in May. “I was at a school earlier this year, Palm Beach Lakes (High School), where a young student was so focused on looking at the cellphone that he almost broke his nose walking into a door. It’s a problem, and I do think we should get our arms around it.”
Ferguson’s colleagues on the board said they were not comfortable extending the ban to high school students, and the board took no action to do so. Board members did embrace the bell-to-bell ban for middle and elementary school students.
“I really do believe that cellphones are dangerous to our children,” said School Board member Marcia Andrews, who worked for 35 years as an educator in the Palm Beach County School District. “They’re on them too much, and we need to curb that.”
School administrators have discussed the ban with teachers, and there are reminders for students at school.
At Tradewinds Middle in Greenacres, for example, a sign on a hallway wall read: “From Bell to Bell, There Is No Cell. Cell phone use is only allowed before and after school.”
Wayne Washington is a journalist covering education for The Palm Beach Post. You can reach him at wwashington@pbpost.com. Help support our work; subscribe today.
This article originally appeared on Palm Beach Post: Cellphone use by students at school? Palm Beach County to enforce new rules
Reporting by Wayne Washington, Palm Beach Post / Palm Beach Post
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