Pasco Schools Want Kids Off Phone
Pasco schools want kids off phone. Pasco County school board members are considering new restrictions on cell phone usage in schools amid concerns that phones are distracting students from learning and enabling poor behavior. The Republican superintendent candidate John Legg has called for a workshop to discuss curbing students’ phone access in elementary and middle schools, with a return to a more restrictive policy where phones are only allowed in emergencies or with special permission.
The district had such a rule until 2014, when it allowed phone usage during passing periods, lunch, and before and after classes. Board members have also noted the growing body of research linking phone and social media use to rising levels of children’s depression and other mental health concerns, and the disruptive uses of phones in classrooms.
The district is preparing to launch a “thought exchange” to gather suggestions on the issue from all parties, including students. Pasco schools want kids off the phone, and back to engaged learning. While the subject is complicated and change might not come easily, the board members believe the conversation needs to happen, and the decision to give a child a phone is a parental choice. TBT
