Connecticut’s Board of Education has released a “position statement and policy guidance” document to help school districts keep kids off phones and other personal technology in the classroom.
The guidance is not enforced by the state or mandatory. Officials said it was drafted to help districts, many of which are preparing to go back to school in the coming days.
For elementary and middle school students, the state suggests keeping phones and smart watches away at all times. For high school students, the state suggests restrictions, but said students can be better trusted to practice impulse control when using personal technology in the classroom.
The full 8-page document can be read here.
Gov. Ned Lamont (D) has discussed the overuse of personal technology in the classroom for months, including in his State of the State speech in February.
He said the guidelines could help students focus on class and improve their mental health.
“All too often, our young people find themselves too distracted by their smartphones and disconnected from the reality of what is happening around them, including while in their classrooms, and it’s having negative impacts on their learning and mental well-being.” Lamont said in a statement on Wednesday. “It is crucial that we adopt stronger policies to address this issue head-on. The state’s guidance provides a clear framework, but it is up to each school district to shape their own policies that meet the needs of their students and communities.”
The state Board of Education voted unanimously to approve the guidance for distribution on Wednesday.
Charlene Russell-Tucker is the state’s education commissioner.
“The state Board of Education’s action underscores our department’s dedication to ensuring classroom environments that are conducive to learning,” Russell-Tucker said. “By removing the distraction caused by smartphone use during the school day and fostering a healthy balance with the positive use of technology, we create schools and classrooms that maximize peer-to-peer and student-to-educator interaction, develop social skills in interpersonal communication, and positively impact academic growth and success, all while supporting student mental health.”
During the meeting, officials acknowledged that some parents may be concerned about being unable to communicate with their children throughout the day.
John Frassinelli, the education department’s director of school health, nutrition, and family services, said they were working on further guidance.
There are also, he said, phones on the classroom walls.
“During an emergency, there are certainly opportunities for the school and EMS to be in communication when necessary, and not burdened by 1,000 cell phones pinging the local tower and information getting out that may be inaccurate, and also blocking the possibility of the important communication coming to and from law enforcement, emergency responders and schools,” Frassinelli said.
In New York, Gov. Kathy Hochul said she’s considering an outright ban on phones in the classroom.
