XPost: alt.education, alt.war.civil.usa, pa.general
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HARRISBURG � As state lawmakers appear close to passing a bill to
effectively take cell phones out of the hands of drivers, talk is
increasing about taking cell phones out of the hands of students during
school.
Sen. Ryan Aument, R-Lancaster, plans to file a bill in the Senate that
would do just that. State Rep. Barb Gleim, R-Cumberland, filed one earlier
this year that is awaiting action in the House Education Committee.
The concept embraced by both is having students put their phones in a
locked container during the school day, and it would be unlocked when
classes are over. Mr. Aument also plans to propose a pilot program in
which some schools would get state money for �lockable phone bags� and
data would be collected to track the program�s effectiveness.
But it�s not the logistics that may trigger an uproar. It�s the mere
notion of school students being without access to their phones.
A recent study published by the nonprofit Common Sense called getting a
cell phone a �rite of passage� for children and adolescents. It found 97%
of study participants used their phones for a median of 43 minutes during school hours. Social media use took up 32% of that time.
Mr. Aument cited the recent steep decline in the mental health in
children. He pointed out that suicide rates for girls aged 10-14 increased
131% in a recent ten-year period.
�Because we know widespread access to smartphones and social media apps increases depression, anxiety, feelings of isolation, and even suicidal thoughts in teens and children, my bill is a commonsense approach to
improve student mental health and academic performance alike,� Mr. Aument
said.
Sherri Smith, executive director of the Pennsylvania Association of School Administrators, said the proposals would start a necessary conversation. �Constant connectivity� by students inhibits the building of collaborative relationships, she said, not to mention the distraction of their attention
from school.
�It is the impetus of a lot of problems that our schools and our teachers
are managing in the classrooms,� Ms. Smith said. Many schools, she added, already have students put phones aside, often in �cubbies� along a wall.
A spokesperson for the Pennsylvania State Education Association, Chris Lillienthal, said PSEA has taken no position on the proposal.
Among lawmakers, recognition of the problem is bipartisan. Sen. Nick
Miller, D-Lehigh and a former Allentown School Board member, said there is
a definite need to address the mental health crisis in schools.
�Coming out of the pandemic, there is an increased need,� Mr. Miller said.
�I definitely agree that cell phones are distracting and mental health is
an issue.�
A big hurdle the proposal faces, Mr. Miller said, is the belief that cell phones are a necessary, full-time connection for parents with their
children. Those parents, he said, are going to have �significant concern�
about the proposal.
Beyond that, Mr. Miller pointed to an Allentown School District pilot
program where students 14 and older can actually use their cell phones �
and specifically, an app called �Counslr� � to access mental health professionals via text, around the clock.
Rep. Joe Ciresi, D-Montgomery, applauded the introduction of the proposal, calling cell phones �addictive� and recognizing �kids are on their devices constantly.� But he said he didn�t think the proposal would get full
support from both parties.
He recalled the recent passage in the House, with amendments, of a bill
from Sen. Rosemary Brown, R-Monroe, that would ban handheld use of cell
phones by drivers. The bill, already passed in an earlier form by both
chambers but amended yet again on Monday by the Senate Rules and Executive Nominations Committee, will need further votes in both chambers.
Action by Pennsylvania would not set a precedent.
In March, Indiana Gov. Eric Holcomb signed into law a measure that
requires every school entity to adopt a policy that �prohibits a student
from using a wireless communication device during instructional time.�
Mileva Repasky, a mother of three children who attend school in
southeastern Pennsylvania, said several years ago she got a call from a
school counselor who said her oldest child appeared to be having a mental health crisis.
�He was really suffering from cell phone addiction,� said Ms. Repasky. �We
got all the help he needed and took the cell phone away.�
Ms. Repasky became co-founder of the nonprofit Phone-Free Schools
Movement.
She said that during emergencies like school shootings, law enforcement
have made it clear they want children paying attention to instructions �
either from trusted adults who are present or those they have been taught previously � rather than shooting video or calling their parents.
A Seattle public interest lawyer who advises the Phone-Free group, Laura Marquez-Garrett, said social media overuse by children has produced catastrophic results. She and other attorneys at the Social Media Victims
Law Center have filed many lawsuits against social media companies
associated with claims of harm to children.
�Schools are supposed to be a safe place for kids. We all need to take a
step back and look at these companies, these for-profit companies,� Ms. Marquez-Garrett said. �They don�t have our children�s best interests at
heart.�
An Erie Republican who signed on early to support Ms. Gleim�s proposal,
Rep. Jake Banta, said he believed the state would see better outcomes for students � personally and academically � if they put away cell phones
during the school day.
�It is really distracting,� he said. �I don�t think anybody can say it
isn�t.�
Mr. Ciresi, the Democrat who heads the Basic Education subcommittee in the House, said he was interested to see how lawmakers would respond to Mr. Aument�s proposal. He was certain parents� communication needs would be
part of the discussion.
�That�s the concern he will hear pushback on,� Mr. Ciresi said.
Ford Turner:
[email protected]
https://www.post-gazette.com/news/politics-state/2024/05/06/pennsylvania- legislature-students-cell-phone-education/stories/202405030061
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