State Sens. Jay Chaudhuri and Jim Burgin co-sponsored a bill to study cellphone use in schools last spring.
That bill failed, but on Tuesday, Burgin told the state Board of Education they intend to refile it. Several states like Florida and Indiana have passed laws restricting cellphone use in schools in recent years.
In North Carolina, districts all set their own policies. Outgoing State Superintendent Catherine Truitt, who has opposed widespread bans, said Monday she does believe the state should set some guardrails.
“While I don’t think a ban is the right way forward, I do think that the legislature’s role in this, through the state board, is to hold every district responsible for creating and implementing a cell phone policy of some sort," Truitt said.
Burgin said he and Chaudhuri weren’t necessarily pursuing a “ban,” but a baseline “policy.”
Some argue phones pose significant distractions in classrooms and hurt students’ mental health. Others say parents like having access to their kids during the day, and that phones can have educational value. Schools across the state have experimented with different approaches, like storing phones in lockers or pouches during class time.
