S.C. board approves statewide cellphone ban for students in public schools

COLUMBIA, S.C. - The South Carolina Board of Education on Tuesday gave final approval for a ban on cellphones in public schools.

In August, leaders approved the first reading of the statewide school electronic ban.

The policy will ban phones, smart watches, tablets and gaming devices during the school day. They would need to be powered off and put away.

The South Carolina Department of Education already had the plan ready, so it launched what it’s calling “Free to Foxus SC” on Tuesday afternoon.

This fall, local school districts and their boards will finalize the roll-out of the policy.

Statewide implementation will begin in January 2025.

“We’ve left a lot of flexibility to you as local districts about how you’re actually going to implement this during the day because we know that all schools are different, all districts are different,” said state Superintendent of Education Ellen Weaver.

“We know that these digital distractions and devices are creating mental health challenges, they are distracting students from learning, and they are really making it much harder for our teachers to do what they’re there to do, which is teach,” she said.

A survey of South Carolina educators shows a significant number of teachers reported that cellphones contribute to behavioral issues and social problems among students. This includes distractions from learning, cheating and cyberbullying, according to the Department of Education.

The policy will prohibit students from accessing devices, including cellphones, smart watches, tablets, and gaming devices, during the school day, unless the district superintendent approves their use.

Exceptions will be allowed for students with IEPs and medical plans if the device is needed for medical or educational purposes, as well as for students who serve as volunteer firefighters or in other emergency organizations, with permission from their district superintendent.

Students will have to keep their phones and other devices in their lockers, backpacks, or wherever the district decides they should be kept, and s will be able to outright prohibit students from bringing them on campus at all.

Districts will still have some discretion over whether this applies to time spent on school buses, field trips, and athletic events.

Despite teachers’ for a ban, some believe the potential disciplinary penalties students could face for violating their district’s policy, like suspensions, could have unintended consequences.

“If the intent of this policy is to help our students be more engaged with learning, removing them from the classroom is not going to assist with that,” said Jennifer Rainville, education policy attorney for SC Appleseed Legal Justice Center.

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