When South Carolina Public School students from kindergarten through high school return from break, every public school district in the state will be required to start implementing a student cellphone ban, if they have not done so already.
This ban includes cellphones, smartwatches, tablets, and gaming devices, with very limited exceptions, like permission for use in learning. The county policy is required to be as strict as the state policy.
State Superintendent of Education Ellen Weaver, a chief proponent of this measure, said. “What we know we’re doing here is giving students the freedom to focus. It’s the gift of focus, as opposed to something we’re taking away,”
Exceptions would be allowed for students with IEPs and medical plans if the device is needed for medical or educational purposes, as well as for students who serve as volunteer firefighters or in other emergency organizations, with permission from their district superintendent.
Some school districts may opt for even stricter measures with students having their phones restricted on buses or at after-school activities.
They are also allowed to decide what the consequences are for students who break the rules.
Weaver added, “We’ve encouraged districts all along to try to look at policies that remove the phone from the situation and not the student from the classroom. What we’re going to see over the next four or five months of the second semester as this is implemented is what’s working and what’s not working. So we’re going to take a very close look at evaluating implementation and be able to make additional recommendations to districts to fine-tune their policies after that.”
The Colleton County School District updated its policy on student possession/use of electronic communication devices in school during the 2021-2022 school year. The current policy places limitations and/or restrictions on students’ use and possession of electronic devices during the instructional day, which is generally synonymous with the South Carolina Department of Education’s new policy. The Colleton County School District recognizes the importance of guarding instructional time and ensuring distractions are minimized and is in the process of reviewing its current policy to determine if any additional modifications are needed at this time.
