The penalty for using a cell phone in class just got tougher for students at one Alabama Gulf Coast high school. Fairhope High is the first in the Baldwin County System requiring students to hand over their phones at the start of each class period or face serious consequences.
The rules which went into effect with summer school. Students at Fairhope High have to put their cell phones in a lock box when they enter the classroom. They get them back at the end of period. A student can be suspended for one day for breaking the rules the first time. Fairhope High School principal Jon Cardwell says four violations means explusion….
“This is a serious matter when I have some of my best teachers telling me they don’t know how much longer they can do it because kids aren’t engaged, that’s a problem, Cardwell said.”
Last week, California’s largest school district voted to ban the use of smartphones. That same day, Governor Gavin Newsom took things a step further, by vowing to work to apply that same policy statewide. Politico reported how Newsome cited mental health risks of social media on children. That announcement followed a call from U.S. Surgeon General Vivek Murthy that Congress require warning labels on social media platforms and the effect they have on youngsters.
Governor Newsom said he plans to build on a 2019 California law that limits or bans the use of smartphones by students while at school or under the supervision of a school employee. "As the Surgeon General affirmed, social media is harming the mental health of our youth," Newsom said in a statement. The Governor’s office did not provide further details on the proposal, but the California School Boards Association said any regulations over student smartphone use should be left up to school districts, not the state.
Fairhope High School Principal Jon Cardwell says there have already been positive results from his “no smartphones in class policy,” and the impact on students is plain to see…
"We've got kids that are finishing summer school quicker than ever because there's nothing to do but the work so they're sitting down and they're actually getting it done which is our main goal," he said.
Cardwell says he hopes to see higher career and college readiness test scores with students fully engaged. The no cell phone policy may mean fewer discipline problems and happier teachers. Other Baldwin County Schools may follow Fairhope’s lead when class begins in August.
