South Carolina’s cellphone ban in classrooms is already working in our schools | Opinion

When South Carolina Superintendent of Education Ellen Weaver surveyed teachers in May about cellphones in class, 83% said they distract students. Of the nearly 10,000 respondents, 92% supported a policy limiting cellphones and 55% supported a complete ban during the school day.

Educators’ concerns were clear: bullying, lost academic time and cheating were negatively impacting thousands of classrooms statewide.

Gov. Henry McMaster has been a strong advocate of prohibiting cellphones in the classroom, citing studies linking increased anxiety and stress in students connected to social media. The South Carolina Board of Education positively responded to these growing concerns on Tuesday by banning access to cellphones during the school day.

As an educator and principal, I applaud our leaders’ actions. Just a few weeks into the school year at Clear Dot Charter School in downtown Columbia, our teachers can see what a difference this policy change has made since we adopted it after the General Assembly required the ban in the current state budget.

We ban cellphones in class by making students put them in lockboxes at the beginning of the day in exchange for their school laptops. Students get their phones back when laptops are returned. This policy has created a better learning environment for teachers and students. Students are more engaged with their teachers and other students, developing stronger relationships in the classroom. With fewer distractions, we see better focus and deeper learning.

It’s refreshing to see classrooms with active participation instead of the disruptions cellphones cause. This policy is helping create an environment where students can concentrate on what matters most — their education. The positive impact on attention spans and classroom dynamics has been immediate and impressive. We’re excited to see how this continues to enhance the learning experience for students.

The majority of students do not mind not having their cellphones — they realize phones are a distraction and an impediment to their own learning during the school day.

We could not make this quick adjustment without support from families. Parents encouraging their children to follow our new rules is a big part of why this policy change has been so successful. By reinforcing the importance of this policy at home, families are directly contributing to a more focused and productive learning environment in school. This partnership prioritizes all students’ education, supports our teachers, reduces cyberbullying and minimizes classroom distractions.

At the same time, we as administrators understand parental safety concerns. At our school, we have a full-time school resource officer on campus who has developed good relationships with students. We have plans and procedures in place for different emergencies and regularly review and practice them. We provide all teachers with iPhones and radios, and are in constant communication throughout the school day.

Parents also have concerns with bullying. We’ve discovered that cellphones make bullying worse because bullies can emotionally harass students who have ready access to their own cellphones. We cut that down dramatically when neither party can access phones during school hours. We have noticed fewer discipline issues with older students, and can implement conflict resolution processes to address disagreements between students.

Our charter school has more than 500 students from diverse backgrounds in grades pre-kindergarten to 11th grade, and we’ll add 12th grade next year. Bringing all of these students together requires policies that apply fairly to everyone . And now all public schools across the state will have the same rule in place by January.

This compliance will improve school culture statewide as we reduce cyberbullying among peers within and across school districts. Additionally, being a charter school in the Charter Institute at Erskine school district means we can count on receiving the right support and technical assistance to ensure implementation of new policies.

I am confident that banning cellphones during the school day over the long run will result in better mental and emotional health for our children and empowered teachers successfully leading students across the state.