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New Jersey is considering banning students from using cell phones during school. (PixieMe/BigStock)
This story originally appeared on 6abc.
New Jersey Governor Phil Murphy is calling for a statewide ban on cell phone use in public schools, for students in grades K-12.
Murphy called for the phone ban during his State of the State address on Tuesday.
“They are fueling a rise in cyberbullying. And they are making it incredibly difficult for our kids, not only to learn, but to retain the substance of what they learn. Honestly, is it any surprise that the rise in smartphone usage has coincided with a growing youth mental health crisis?” Murphy said.
It was a clear message from Murphy, who says he will no longer sit back and watch kids suffer.
The proposal is backed by both the New Jersey State Senate and the teachers union, who called on the Education Department to come up with a comprehensive cell phone and social media policy in all schools.
Assemblyman Cody Miller is a sponsor of a similar bill. He says it’s about giving administrators a foundation for cellphone rules.
“Indiana, Ohio, South Carolina, Louisiana is becoming a national issue. Actually, the U.S. Department of Education called on every state school and district on Tuesday to adopt policies on cell phone use in schools,” said Assemblyman Miller.
Research shows the majority of teachers find cell phones to be a classroom distraction and efforts to get students to put them away during instruction are difficult to enforce.
Delaware and Pennsylvania already offer funding to districts that require phones to be placed in bags or pouches out of reach of students.
However, supporters of phones in schools argue they should be allowed, for safety and communications reasons.
Cell phones, smart watches, and wireless earbuds are currently banned in Cherry Hill schools.
The program has been successful, according to Cherry Hill East Principal Daniel Finkle.
“When you walk into classrooms, I don’t see phones,” he says.
Students are allowed to keep their devices on them, but phones have to be stored away in a bag.
“It was always that vibration from the notification that would make me want to look down, and now that’s not really an issue. Also, no one else is doing it,” said Cherry Hill West senior Rebekah Bruesehoff.
The New Jersey Education Association is expressing support for Murphy’s proposal, saying, “Shared input and community buy-in will help ensure the success of those policies better than any one-size-fits-all ban imposed from above.”