East Tennessee School Districts Implement Stricter Cell Phone Policies For Students

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The Tennessee Conservative Staff –

As students prepare to head back to school across the state, school districts are also preparing to implement updated policies regarding student usage of cell phones and electronics.

The Johnson City School Board voted on Monday to update the policies across the district. Elementary and middle school students are now prohibited from using cell phones during school hours, while high school students must keep phones put away during instructional time.

“We know how distracting cell phones can be and technology can be, so we’re taking one step and we’re considering many other steps,” said school board chair Kathy Hall.

Additionally, wireless earbuds have been banned in all schools. Students must now use wired headphones to connect to their Chromebooks.

Hawkins County Schools also announced a policy update on Monday, changing the rules for middle and high schools, citing “issues of safety, harassment, of bullying, particularly over social media” as a major reason for doing so.

Director of Schools Matt Hixson stated that the middle schools’ current policy, which requires students to turn off and put away their phones upon entering the building until the end of the school day, has worked so far.

The policy for the high school, however, is becoming more restrictive. While students were previously restricted from using phones during class, the new policy also prohibits use between classes. Students will only be allowed to use their phones during lunch.

Bristol Tennessee Schools and Johnson County Schools also updated their policies in an effort to curb disciplinary issues, while several other districts are considering future changes to how they handle cell phone usage.