For Immediate Release
August 20, 2024
From the Office of Communications
Phone: 803.435.4435
CCSD Cell Phone Policy Coming Soon
This September, the South Carolina Department of Education (SCDE) is set to draft a policy banning the use of cell phones during school hours. The SCDE will adopt a statewide model policy that spells out minimum requirements local school districts must have to ban student cellphone use during school, with spelled-out disciplinary consequences. During the coming months, the Clarendon County School District Board of Trustees will approve a draft of the cell phone policy with the help of district attorneys.
"Our priority is to ensure that students are fully engaged in their learning with minimal distractions," emphasized Dr. Shawn Johnson, CCSD Superintendent. "Our ultimate goal is to drive student success in every classroom."
In light of the upcoming policy changes, parents and guardians need to start discussing with their students what to expect in Clarendon County School District and statewide. Preparing them now will ensure a smoother transition and help them understand the importance of these new guidelines.
"We encourage parents to start discussing with their students the importance of staying focused and minimizing distractions by unplugging from personal electronic devices during the school day," said Dr. Keisa Carr, Director of Communications. "We provide each student with a laptop or iPad for educational purposes, eliminating the need for other devices. If safety is a concern, parents should know that they can always email or call the school office or the teacher directly, and students can use a school landline to contact their parents if necessary."
Once created and passed, the CCSD cell phone policy will go into effect in January 2025.
Statistics and Facts
A May survey sent to teachers by the state Department of Education found that:
83% of teachers said phones distract students every day in their classrooms.
92% of teachers support a policy limiting cell phone access, with 55% supporting a complete ban during the school day.
Major themes that recurred in teacher comments included behavioral and social issues, cyberbullying, cheating/academic dishonesty, teacher morale, and lost learning. Perhaps most alarming was data surrounding the amount of instructional time missed due to cell phone distractions. The federal chronic absenteeism threshold (for when a student is absent from school) is set at 10% of instructional time missed. Applying that same methodology to teachers’ estimations of learning time lost due to cell phones would mean that between 55-70% of students are “chronically absent” (while still being physically present) due to cell phone distraction.
The model policy is backed by a new S.C. law included in the budget, which states that:
"To receive state funds allocated for State Aid to Classrooms, a school district shall implement a policy adopted by the State Board of Education that prohibits access to personal electronic communication devices by students during the school day. For purposes of this provision, a personal electronic communication device is considered to be a device not authorized for classroom use by a student, utilized to access the Internet,
wi-fi, or cellular telephone signals."
For more information see the One-pager on Cell Phone Statistics.
The printable article may be found HERE.
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