EDWARDSVILLE, Ill. – With the start of the back-to-school season underway, an Metro East school district is starting the school year off with an emphasis on restricting the use of phones in classrooms.
The Edwardsville Community Unit School District 7 Board of Education is buckling down on phone usage in the classrooms by restricting student use and even pushing for statewide restrictions in Illinois.
A district spokesperson told FOX 2 that for the 2024–2025 school year, middle school students will be required to keep their cellphones in their lockers, and high school students will not be allowed to use their phones during class.
“The mental health and social impact of cellphone usage impacts every student,” the district spokesperson said. “Research shows that cellphones used in schools aid in depression, increased bullying, impairment in social skills, reduced attention span, and other factors.”
The Edwardsville Community Unit School District 7 Board of Education will also be pushing for a statewide restriction of phone usage in Illinois schools come November at the Illinois Association of School Boards (IASB).
The proposal will request that the Illinois legislature encourage school boards to create policies restricting student phone usage and that students not use cellphones during class time.
The proposal will also encourage teachers and administrators to have a designated location for phones and only be used during lunchtime and breaks between class.
“This is not just for students in our district, but all students, and we are advocating for them as well. We can only control what happens in District 7, but we can influence what happens statewide,” the district spokesperson said.
Back in June, the initial push from Edwardsville Community Unit School District 7 led to over 30 St. Louis schools asking parents to reduce the time students were using their phones and social media.
The joint statement emphasized the impact of social media on student mental health and the “addictive properties” of smartphones.
The statement encouraged parents to limit and monitor their children’s use of technology and even delay their use of it “as long as possible into adolescence,” according to the statement.
The Fulton School in Chesterfield, Missouri, was one of the 38 schools that signed the joint statement.
“It is both a collective expression of solidarity with parents and a broad call to action from school leaders across the St. Louis region in affirmation of our mutual commitment to the healthy development of your children,” said Kara Douglass, Head of Fulton School.
In response to the statement, the school reminded parents and children of their device policy.
According to their phone policy, devices are not allowed at school or school-sponsored events for toddlers through the sixth grade. However, seventh and eighth grade students may bring devices, though they must be stored in designated spots and only used on breaks.
High school students are allowed to bring their phones, but the school said they must not be seen or heard during classes or meetings.
