State lawmakers consider ways to regulate cell phone use in classrooms | WFAE 90.7

State Senators Jay Chaudhuri and Jim Burgin co-sponsored a bill last spring to investigate cell phone use in schools.

That bill failed, but on Tuesday Burgin told the state Board of Education they plan to refile it. Several states, such as Florida and Indiana, have passed laws in recent years restricting cell phone use in schools.

In North Carolina, all counties set their own guidelines. Outgoing state Superintendent Catherine Truitt, who has opposed widespread bans, said Monday she believes the state should set some guardrails.

“While I don’t believe a ban is the right path, I do believe the Legislature’s role in this is to hold each county, through the state board, responsible for developing and implementing some form of cell phone policy,” Truitt said .

Burgin said he and Chaudhuri were not necessarily pursuing a “ban” but a basic “policy.”

Some argue that phones are a significant distraction in the classroom and impact students’ mental health. Others say parents like having access to their children during the day and that phones can have educational value. Schools across the state have experimented with different approaches, such as keeping phones in lockers or bags during class.