Warrick County School Corp. will require students to put their cell phones and other wireless communication devices in their assigned school lockers to comply with state law.
WCSC and other school districts in Indiana are tasked with implementing the state’s tough new bell-to-bell ban on cell phones in schools when school starts again in August. For WCSC, that will be August 5.
The new law, which went into effect July 1, mandates that school districts may either forbid students from bringing wireless communication devices to school at all, commonly called a “hard ban” — or that they require the devices be “stored away, powered off, and inaccessible to a student throughout the school day.”
That means not only during instructional time, but during passing periods and cafeteria time as well. The new law is tougher than a state law passed in 2024 banning portable wireless devices from being used during instructional time.
Statewide and local teachers union officials have said many students were openly disobeying the 2024 “instructional time only” law. Advocates of tougher measures say it was ineffective and didn’t maximize the social and mental health benefits that come with bell-to-bell bans.
WCSC won’t be as affected as some other districts
The new bell-to-bell law is not as jarring a difference for WCSC as it might be for other school districts. Warrick County School Corp. was already prohibiting use of wireless communication devices during passing periods.
Parent-student communication has been a persistent question among school districts across the state in light of the new bell-to-bell statute.
Evansville Vanderburgh School Corp. (EVSC) has discussed possibly contracting with vendors to add online features to school-issued laptops and iPads — which aren’t covered by the new statute — so students and families could communicate during the school day if necessary. Parents also can call their child’s school, EVSC says.
WCSC has a simple answer for parents.
“If you need to reach your child during the school day, the office staff will be more than happy to assist you in getting the message to your child,” states a recent notice from WCSC to families.
Phones and other devices can be stored in a student’s locked vehicle as well, states WCSC’s policy.
“Our expectation is simply that the phones are locked, powered off before they enter our building, and they are then stored in (students’) school lockers,” WCSC Superintendent Abbie Redmon told the Courier & Press. “If we see them out, or if we see students accessing them or if we see them out in other situations — in any situation where they have not been given permission — then the school disciplinary action would take place at that point.”
Redmon acknowledged there are not enough school personnel available to monitor lockers to make sure students actually put devices inside and keep them inside during the school day.
“Our teachers certainly monitor hallways during passing periods. and other staff monitor,” she said.
“I’ll be perfectly honest — our students are mostly compliant with all things, not just with this. But our students are mostly compliant. So now that it’s law, now that parents understand it’s the law, there’s always a little time where we have to train and teach students there at the front of the school year.”
Thus WCSC does not foresee major compliance issues with students, Redmon said.
WCSC has already taken a stand on social media
WCSC’s notice to families acknowledges the new statute represents a meaningful change for students who were using their cell phones during lunch periods. The corporation has made a call for cooperation.
“It will take strong alignment between our families and schools to prepare for this new expectation,” the notice states.
WCSC is one of some 1,400 school districts across the country who signed on to a massive multi-district litigation accusing the world’s leading social media companies of actively working to keep students glued to their screens, facilitating addictive behavior and causing emotional and physical harms.
“As many of you know, across the country and here in Warrick County, we have seen increased mental health concerns and overall ill intent with wireless communication device usage, especially cell phones,” WCSC’s notice to parents states.
“Prohibiting the wireless communication devices bell to bell is an additional step toward refocusing on instruction and academics and prioritizing positive, healthy interpersonal relationships among students throughout the school day.”
This article originally appeared on Evansville Courier & Press: Here’s how Warrick County schools plan to enforce new cell phone law
Reporting by Thomas B. Langhorne, Evansville Courier & Press / Evansville Courier & Press
USA TODAY Network via Reuters Connect
By Thomas B. Langhorne, Evansville Courier & Press | USA TODAY Network
