San Diego Unified Officially Has a Cell Phone Ban

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After months of discussion, San Diego Unified’s board on Tuesday night voted unanimously to adopt a new policy that bans cell phone use during most of the school day. 

The policy comes as districts across the country are tightening rules regulating cell phone use in schools. The crackdown itself is, at least partly, in response to a growing body of research that shows just how damaging cell phones and social media can be to kids’ mental health and their ability to learn.

During the meeting, Superintendent Fabiola Bagula said the policy helped to simplify and standardize a patchwork set of rules across the district. It was also crafted in partnership with students, parents and teachers, she added.

“Last time we talked about the superintendent’s evaluation, I talked about a value system, about democracy and civic leadership and innovation and healthy organizational culture,” Bagula said. “So, we really wanted to take a look at, ‘how do we develop this cell phone policy with these values in mind?’”

What does it do: The policy, which applies to all students from kindergarten through 12th grade, does allow for cell phone use during some specific times, like when a teacher is using phones for an instructional purpose or during emergencies. 

There are also carve-outs for students with special needs and high schoolers, who are allowed to use them during lunch and between classes. In all other cases, district officials are requiring students to keep their cell phones off and out of sight.

When does it kick in? San Diego Unified’s ban launches at the beginning of the coming school year. It also preempts the deadline of a state law signed by Gov. Gavin Newsom last year that required all California school districts to pass a policy limiting cell phone use by August 2026. 

The implementation question: This isn’t the district’s first cell phone policy. As Trustee Shana Hazan, pointed out, the previous policy bore striking similarities to this new one.  

“How are we going to ensure that every site implements this policy consistently when the last policy, which was almost the same, was not implemented consistently?” Hazan asked.

Bagula said one big difference was that this new policy was crafted in a more grassroots way that not only brought people into the conversation, but also increased awareness. District leaders also created a toolkit to help staff and administrators better understand what was expected of them.

“We have to act professionally and make sure that we continue to enforce it, so it’s how we communicate our own expectations as well,” Bagula said.

The post San Diego Unified Officially Has a Cell Phone Ban appeared first on Voice of San Diego.