South Carolina Students on Cellphone Rule: 'Not as Bad as it Sounds'

(TNS) — As students across South Carolina brace for school without cell phones, they can look to Rock Hill for what to expect.

It'll be an adjustment, students there say.

"I thought I would hate it," said Victoria "Star" Morris, who graduated this spring from South Pointe High School. "I thought it would be the worst thing ever."

The Rock Hill School District implemented a policy last year that took cell phones out of student hands during the school day. Other area districts have varying policies, some that disallow cell phones during class time but don't mention hallway time or lunch breaks.

Now a statewide rule is likely to mirror what Rock Hill implemented. If so, it may not be the dramatic change some students and parents in Rock Hill first feared.

"It's not as bad as it sounds," said Northwestern High School rising junior Turner Ferguson, 16.

SC SCHOOL CELL PHONE LAW

Late last month, school districts learned a state budget proviso would require them to prohibit personal electronic communication devices by students during the school day in order to receive state funding. The proviso is a one-year rule tied to the state budget.

The South Carolina Department of Education is expected to draft a model cell phone policy when the state Board of Education meets Aug. 13.

Local school boards would have the fall to adopt the model in time to implement it in January. The proviso, listed among 329 pages of similar budget requirements, is categorized as an anti-bullying and school safety measure.

The state legislature sometimes uses provisos to put a measure in place while legislators look for a long-term solution through new laws.

A bill was introduced in late 2022 would prohibit the use of wireless electronic communication devices in classrooms and gyms during academic instruction. That bill remains in the state education and public works committee.

Three House legislators had their names added to that bill in January as sponsors. Rep. Raye Felder, Rep. Tommy Pope and Rep. Heath Sessions — all Republicans — represent York County.

ROCK HILL CELL PHONE ISSUE

York County Sheriff Kevin Tolson advocated for the change in Rock Hill last year.

Tolson told school board members cell phones are wonderful tools, but that "the bad is overtaking the good" for students. He said the cell phone change in Rock Hill was one other York County districts should follow, just before the Rock Hill board finalized its decision in spring 2023.

Students taking pictures of, shaming, instant messaging and threatening others during the school day were concerns, Tolson told the board. So were pornography, bullying and sextortion. Tolson also mentioned Tik Tok or Instagram challenges to start fights or damage school property.

Board members took smart watches out of the policy since some are used for health purposes.

Liability related to confiscating phones was a sticking point, given the high cost of phones and potential for students to claim they were damaged. How students or parents would pick up phones, and when, were discussed. So were emergencies.

The board settled on a policy where personal electronic devices like cell phones or gaming devices can't be "on or visible during the school day." They are allowed in backpacks or lockers.

Students using phones during the day can have them confiscated and returned at the end of the school day.

The policy states the district isn't responsible for loss or damage of devices brought on school grounds, including buildings or buses. The policy makes a distinction between personal devices and district-issued ones, which are allowed during the day.

Consequences for using phones depends on severity. Multiple instances of checking social media might be detention, while using a phone to cheat on a test or or bully another student could lead to suspension or other measures.

STUDENTS ON CELL PHONES IN SCHOOLS

Morris remembers her junior year at South Pointe, when bored students might steal a peak at their phones during class or scroll through lunch. It took a couple of weeks into her senior year to acclimate to not having phones.

"As time went on, we totally forgot about the cell phones," Morris said. "The biggest difference between having it and not having it is just a better focus in the class. It took a lot of the distractions away for us. It gave people more time to complete their assignments."

Unlike a parent taking one student's phone away, no one could use them so the playing field was even, she said.

A basketball standout who's preparing for her freshman year at North Carolina Central University, Morris didn't have any problem communicating if a practice or game time changed. Rock Hill district coaches are also teachers at the school, and district-issued laptops allowed notifications and email access.

"They had a switch for everything your phone would do," Morris said.

Ferguson agreed the change took an adjustment. "It started off pretty strong," he said. "'Hey don't use your phone', that type of thing."

Students who were doing well in school before the phone change still did, Ferguson said. Students who struggled or didn't follow rules as closely, the cell phone rule didn't change much. Morris and Ferguson say some teachers were stricter than others. Most teachers were accommodating if students told them ahead of time that they needed to communicate something.

Ferguson doesn't mind returning to school this fall with the same rules in place.

"It limits distractions, and also, you're not missing out on a whole lot," he said.

CLOVER CELL PHONE POLICY

The Clover School District scheduled an electronic device policy update for its board meeting Monday night. District spokesman Bryan Dillon described that decision as a minor tweak, but said more will come depending on what happens in Columbia.

Whether the district takes a "bell-to-bell" approach or only disallows phones during classroom time will impact area schools. An advantage other districts have by adopting a statewide policy is, they can point concerned students or parents to the state Education Department.

"If you have state backing," Dillon said, "you have more ground to stand on."

'A STEP IN THE RIGHT DIRECTION'

Rock Hill didn't have that luxury, but the district is confident with the call it made.

"What we've seen is a change in attitude," said Lindsay Machak, district spokeswoman. "A change in our kids being able to reconnect with each other. You'll see kids talking to each other, playing cards, reading books. And that's not something we've seen prior."

Parent Branda Polk chairs the student improvement council at Northwestern High School.

"Big context, the policy is needed," Polk said. "Cell phone use is a huge distraction from the learning process for students and teachers."

Yet implementation can be complicated.

Devices are so common it can burden teachers having to take them from students. Some parents were vocal against the Rock Hill policy when the last school year started, Polk said. Some argued it's their right to be able to contact a child or that emergencies at school are a need for constant connection, she said.

The cell phone policy can be positive if schools, parents and students collectively support it, Polk said.

"Initial feedback at the beginning of the school year was that students were actually talking to each other more than just looking at their phones at lunchtime and in other breaks," she said. "But other reports shared that some students had multiple phones in case one was taken, they had another to go to."

Machak said the district doesn't have data that show impacts of the cell phone rule. People were nervous when it began, she said. Other districts have reached out to see how Rock Hill handled the communication of the policy.

"We're not banning cell phones," Machak said. "We're asking cell phones to be turned off and put away during school hours."

While changes are anecdotal, Machak points to the lack of disruptive social media challenges in schools last year and a feeling of connectivity not seen since the COVID pandemic began as positives.

"It's not like a single thing is going to be that magic key to unlock learning," Machak said. "But it's a step in the right direction."

©2024 The Herald (Rock Hill, S.C.). Distributed by Tribune Content Agency, LLC.