Opinion: A Hawaii Lawmaker Wants to Ban Cell Phones in Classrooms

Photo byRahul ChakrabortyonUnsplash

It seems regulation is the first choice for many Hawaii lawmakers as a solution to a problem. With the ease of technology today, calling a loved one in school is important. With so much violence across campuses across the country, eliminating communication with your child on campus is the last thing any parent would want to do.

Here is what will happen: schools ban cell phones in the classroom. You would have to call the office to reach your child. The office would send security to the classroom to notify the child with a note from the parent.

Cell phones are interruptions in the classroom, but if they implement a school-wide ban on cell phones, no adult on campus will also be able to use their cell phone.

What type of example would it be if adults tell students not to use their cell phones, and five minutes later, the student sees the adult using their cell phones on campus?

• Who will enforce the cell phone ban?
• What are the consequences of using cell phones in class?
• What grade level will they have a cell phone ban for classrooms?

Eliminating cell phone distraction is a great idea, but creating a cell phone ban will cause more problems than finding solutions to existing cell phone use in some classrooms.

Not all teachers see it as a problem because when they tell students to put their phones away, students put their phones away.

Some teachers allow cell phone use in class. Students can take notes, take surveys, or use their calculators with their cell phones in class. Others do not.

There are no easy answers, but more regulations and restrictions are not the answer.

If everyone is on board with no cell phone in class, every adult must follow the same rules of having no cell phone in sight. Every adult in the school system must follow the same rules.

Not every child will follow the rules if Hawaii implements a cell phone ban in classrooms. You can be certain that not every adult will also follow the rule of no cell phone in class.

There are more important issues the state is facing. Hawaii lawmakers should figure out how to balance the budget and fix more important issues.

Cell phone ban in classrooms?

What about solving the problem of increasing housing prices in the state?