During his State of the State address, Gov. Phil Murphy announced his support for a new proposal in New Jersey classrooms: cellphone bans.
“Today our children are inundated with screens,” Murphy said during the address Jan. 14.
“If you ask just about any educator, they will tell you that mobile devices are a distraction in the classroom, that they are fueling a rise in cyberbullying and they are making it incredibly difficult for our kids not only to learn, but to retain the substance of what they learn.”
More: Are cellphones allowed in school? What New Jersey, others say about it
The announcement was met with a standing ovation from those who attended the address.
While this proposal would direct school districts to adopt cellphone-banning policies in K-12 classrooms, some districts have already restricted phone usage in schools.
Before the current school year started, the Cherry Hill district enacted a cellphone and “wireless communication device” ban. Under this policy students are barred from using their mobile devices during instructional periods and are required to keep them in secure locations such as lockers and closed bookbags.
Superintendent Kwame Morton said the shift has been “overwhelmingly positive for us on multiple levels.”
He also said that while students may have been apprehensive of the change at first, it has been “liberating” for kids to experience more face-to-face social interactions. Further, curbing cellphone use may in school may increase classroom attention and decrease negative peer interactions.
In a release from the organization’s leadership, members of the New Jersey Education Association applauded Murphy for highlighting concerns about the “detrimental effects of cellphones in classrooms.”
“As New Jersey moves to limit the distraction that they pose during the school day, we call on the New Jersey Department of Education to issue guidelines directing districts to work with parents and educators in each community and at each school level to determine what specific policy will best serve students’ academic, safety and mental health needs,” the statement said.
Kaitlyn McCormick writes about trending issues and community news across South Jersey for the Courier-Post, The Daily Journal and the Burlington County Times. If you have a story she should tell, email her at kmccormick@gannett.com. And subscribe to stay up to date on the news you need.
This article originally appeared on Cherry Hill Courier-Post: Cellphone ban in New Jersey schools: Does Gov. Murphy support it? Yes.