Los Angeles Unified School District (LAUSD), the second-largest school district in the US, voted on Tuesday to ban cell phone use during school hours.
The LAUSD, a district that serves over 429,000 students in grades K–12, made its decision at a time when momentum has grown nationwide to ban the use of smartphones in school to improve students’ online learning and safety. Nick Melvoin, a board member of the LAUSD, led the resolution. He stated that “kids no longer have the opportunity to be just kids.”
“I’m hoping this resolution will help students not only focus in class, but also give them a chance to interact and engage more with each other, just like other kids,” he added.
According to a report by the Los Angeles Times, proponents of the resolution, which the LAUSD Board of Education voted 5 to 2, claimed that mobile device usage leads to distractions and anxiety in students and makes it easier for cyberbullying to occur. The ban is set to go into effect in January 2025. Still, additional information about the school system’s intent to enforce the measures is to be decided at a future board meeting.
Melvoin’s proposal was co-sponsored by Tanya Oritz Franklin, a board member, and Jackie Goldberg, the president of the LAUSD Board.
George McKenna was among the board members who opposed the motion on Tuesday. The Los Angeles Times reported that McKenna was concerned about a total ban on mobile devices. According to the report, board member Scott Schmerelson also opposed the motion because, according to him, it was crucial to distinguish between instructional and noninstructional time at school.
Some schools implementing similar bans have used pouches that make cell phones inaccessible unless the device is tapped against a magnet to unlock it. However, it is still unclear how the Los Angeles school district will enact the ban.
During an interview with the Guardian, New York Governor Kathy Hochul announced that she intended to introduce a bill outlining the use of mobile devices in classrooms.
“I have seen these addictive algorithms pull in young people, making them prisoners in a space where they are cut off from human connections, social interaction, and normal classroom activity,” Hochul told the newspaper.
Students in public schools are now prohibited from using cell phones in class, with Florida being the first state to do so. Several other states, including New Mexico, South Carolina, Minnesota, Hawaii, and Nevada, have enacted similar bills.
Cellphone bans are opposed on the grounds that they violate students’ rights and endanger their safety. Students at James Madison High School in South Houston protested the cellphone ban in their school with a walkout in February. The students who took part in the demonstration held signs that read, “You are not here to imprison us or confine us.” They also read, “We are high school kids and cellmates.”
A parent of a James Madison student expressed worry to the Houston Chronicles about the ban’s potential to prevent them from reaching their children in case of an emergency.
Anthony McDonald told the Chronicle, “It’s a safety thing,” “My daughter has asthma, so I decided to buy her a phone since I didn’t want five different teachers calling me in the event something is wrong with her. She needs to call me.”
