Cell phones might get banned in Ohio schools, state leaders hold roundtable to discuss

MT. HEALTHY, Ohio (WKRC) – This school year, leaders in local districts adopted new cell phone policies, some banned them during the school day.

Ohio's Lieutenant Governor Jon Husted hosted a roundtable with school leaders on Monday in hopes that the local policies could become guidelines for schools throughout the state.

Some people argued that students should have their phones for safety reasons, others said if a parent needed to get a hold of their child they should just call the office.

Husted said he's not advocating for a law to ban cell phones in schools.

"We don't believe we know at this stage what that best policy is," said Husted.

Instead, he and Governor Mike DeWine asked schools to eliminate or severely restrict cell phone use during the school day.

"In my opinion it's the single most impactful policy change that a school can make to improve both academic performance and social outcomes," said Husted.

Yellow Springs Superintendent Dr. Terri Holden said her district required middle and high school students to lock up their phones in pouches for the entire school day.

"Teachers love it, they've gained back so much instructional time and students started talking and engaging with each other at lunch and not on their phones," said Holden.

Mt. Healthy Schools Director of Secondary Teaching and Learning Dr. Melinda Reichelt pointed out what works for one district may not work for another.

"We're a high poverty district and our kids have a lot of ACEs (Adverse Childhood Experiences). So our parents do feel like they need to reach their kids regularly," said Reichelt.

Husted said they are taking these roundtable discussions back to Columbus to help other districts.

"What we're doing is preparing to collect the data and the information and the policies that are being used so that schools can choose from those," said Husted.

The superintendents said limiting smart phones improved academics, school culture and reduced disciplinary incidents.

Regardless of which path district administrators took, they were up against a societal norm.

"This is true culture change in school. Our society is very different in how everywhere you go people are on their phones, heads down, scrolling, scrolling, scrolling," said Natasha Adams, the superintendent of West Clermont Schools.

Ohio House Bill 485 was recently introduced. If passed, it would require schools to create an internet safety policy which would include limiting the use of cell phones during the school day.

Husted said he hopes the work they are doing in these roundtables helps schools start thinking about those policies.

There is no statewide restriction on phone use in Ohio or Kentucky schools.

Indiana lawmakers just passed a bill which will keep students from using them during classroom instruction. That goes into effect in the fall.