TALLAHASSEE, Fla. (AP) 鈥 It鈥檚 no surprise that students are pushing back on cellphone bans in classrooms. But school administrators in one South Florida county working to pull students鈥 eyes away from their screens are facing some resistance from another group as well 鈥 parents.
Since the beginning of the 2024 school year in August, students in Broward County Public Schools, the country鈥檚 sixth largest district, have been barred from using cellphones during the school day, including during lunch and breaks, unless given special permission.
The schools are some of the many across the country wrestling with how to crack down on cellphones, at a time when experts say use among young people is nearly universal 鈥 and that is linked to higher rates of among kids.
But a survey sent out by the South Florida school district earlier this fall found that of the more than 70,000 students, teachers and parents surveyed, nearly one in five parents believe the cellphone ban is having a negative impact on their student鈥檚 wellbeing.
Among the top concerns for the students and parents surveyed is not being able to communicate with their family members, especially in an emergency 鈥 an anxiety that cuts deep in the district that鈥檚 home to , where a 2018 shooting killed 17 people.
District officials have said students can use their phones during an emergency and that teachers have the flexibility to grant kids access for other reasons too.
鈥淚 don鈥檛 think any of us thinks kids should be on their phones during class,鈥 said Erin Gohl, a parent and advocate in the district.
鈥淲e鈥檙e really talking about giving kids tools during those times when they need it,鈥 she added, including letting students use their phones for 鈥減ositive mental health purposes鈥.
Officials in the Fort Lauderdale-area district have acknowledged that implementation of the policy has been inconsistent. Some teachers have struggled to monitor students鈥 phone use, and are facing the reality that for some kids, phones can be a needed tool to access online lessons and turn in assignments, especially for those who don鈥檛 have a school-issued laptop. And parents have argued their students are better off with their phones, helping them coordinate afternoon pickup times or text their parents for advice about a school bully.
鈥淚 don鈥檛 expect students to say 鈥 or parents of high schoolers to say 鈥 right, that, they don鈥檛 want their kids to have cellphones,鈥 said Howard Hepburn, Broward superintendent of schools. 鈥淭he expectation that we鈥檙e going to just have a hard stop is not reality. It takes time.鈥
Landyn Spellberg, a student advisor to the Broward school board, said there are a lot of benefits to phones 鈥 and that the district's blanket ban isn't helping students with something many adults still struggle with: learning how to use technology in a healthy way.
鈥淚 think it鈥檚 important that we teach students about the negatives,鈥 he said. 鈥淲e don鈥檛 inform students of those things.鈥
___ Kate Payne is a corps member for The Associated Press/Report for America Statehouse News Initiative. is a nonprofit national service program that places journalists in local newsrooms to report on undercovered issues.
