Cell phone ban could be coming to South Carolina schools

HORRY COUNTY, S.C. (WBTW) — The South Carolina Department of Education will soon draft a policy banning the use of cell phones and other personal electronic devices, which could start as soon as the upcoming school year.

The ban is tied to a provision that must happen if the school districts plan to get state funding. A state Department of Education official said the ban comes after similar policies were successful for some students and teachers in school districts in South Carolina and across the U.S.

In late May, the state superintendent of education sent a brief survey about school cell phone use to all certified teachers. 10,000 teachers completed it.

The results showed 83% of high school teachers think phones distract their students daily in their classrooms. The survey also found that 92% of teachers support a policy limiting cell phone access, with 55% supporting a full ban during the school day.

Some Horry County parents agree that a cell phone ban would improve students’ classroom experience.

“It’s a major distraction. I think the learning is going to go down, it’s going to decline. I think being out in the real world, away from your phone, is really good,” Daniel Tarinelli said. “Develop your mind, especially as a young child going through middle school and high school. I think there’s a lot of things to learn that doesn’t require a cell phone.”

A Department of Education official said one of its goals is to address cyber and in-school safety concerns.

If a cell phone policy is approved, the department would require all South Carolina schools to implement cell phone restrictions, if not a full ban, by January 2025 in order to receive state funding.

Horry County Schools is waiting to see what happens at a Department of Education meeting next month. Until then, some parents think schools need to address other issues before cell phones.

“I’m not a fan of the cell phone ban,” Heather Thomas said. “If they want to come up with a way to prevent guns and weapons coming into the school, then we could talk about a cell phone ban.”

In Georgetown County, the school district plans to implement what it calls “electronic communication device procedures” at the beginning of this school year, meaning a ban against personal devices in the classroom.

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Skylar Musick is a multimedia journalist at News13. Skylar is originally from Long Island, New York. She joined the News13 team in June 2024 after graduating from Villanova University in May 2024. Follow Skylar on X, formerly Twitter, Facebook , or Instagram , and read more of her work here .

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