A lavender phone and laptop sit on a desk; many students face this view with differing phone policies across schools in NC. | Photo by Adrian Tillman
Story by Kyle Lobenhofer
LEAD: Today, phones are prevalent at all stages of life. Kids and teenagers have smartphones in their pockets at all times, which can create some issues in the classroom. Kyle Lobenhofer tells how schools are working to counter this.
TRACK: Smart phones have become essential. They are how parents stay in touch with their children when they are away at places like school. However, these same smart phones provide access to social media, games, and the internet. All of which can distract for kids from learning.
NAT: Cell phone ding
Teri Hutchens, CCTL Early College Principal: Students these days are highly susceptible to distractions and so it’s too much to ask, in my opinion, that a 14-year-old, 15-year-old, could look at it, and put it right back down, and not be processing that in their head. And we get so few minutes anyway of trying to get high quality learning done, that we can’t afford the distractibility.
TRACK: That was Teri Hutchens, the principal of Collaborative College for Technology and Leadership Early College. Here, students must have their smart phones on silent and put on silent during instructional blocks. Students are allowed to use their phones to communicate with their parents and each other between classes and during the lunch. Carrboro High School, like CCTL Early College, also has students put their phones away in their bags or in phone cubbies in the classroom during instructional periods. Junior Joe Smith explains why he doesn’t mind this policy.
Joe Smith, Carrboro High School Student: I think it’s good because it keeps me focused on what I have to get done in class. It’s nothing too bad. I have a lot of time to go on my phone between classes if I need something, and if you get a call from a parent, they always let you take it.
TRACK: Smith went on to point out that, during the UNC-Chapel Hill lockdown last fall, students were all allowed to use their phones to communicate with their parents. Chapel Hill High School takes a slightly different approach where it is up to the teachers to determine phone policies for their individual class, which creates its own set of difficulties
Steven Sullivan, Chapel Hill High School Principal: It can be difficult if you go into one teacher’s classroom, and that teacher allows you to use your phones and going into another teacher’s classroom, and you can’t use the phone. So you’re having to code switch throughout the day. So I think for students a lot easier if there’s a set policy, and that we all follow it.
TRACK: You just heard from Steven Sullivan, principal of Chapel Hill High School. He says the school is looking to implement a universal policy for next school year. As the prevalence of cell phones only appears to be increasing, schools across North Carolina are looking into the best policies to provide students with an effective and distraction-free learning environment. Schools say they take parent, student, and teacher feedback into account as they develop and adjust phone policies. I’m Kyle Lobenhofer, reporting.
