Back to school: Students ditch electronic devices

GREENWOOD, Ind. (WISH) — Students may no longer be able to bring phones to class.

Many school districts have implemented the new restriction. It comes after state lawmakers passed a law requiring school districts to establish policies regarding electronic devices.

There is an ongoing debate among parents about the pros and cons of banning electronic devices in schools. While many acknowledge the potential for cell phones to be distracting, others emphasize the need for direct communication in emergencies.

“Of course we’re concerned about distractions in the classroom with social media and other things,” said Michael Long, a Brown County resident and parent. “But the other side of the coin now is safety. We’ve all gotten so used to the things that are happening in schools.”

For parents like Michael Long of the Indian Creek School System, the new rules raise serious safety concerns because their policy mandates leaving cellphones in lockers.

“We’re concerned about her not having communication, and she’s a little concerned about that,” Long said. “The procedures we’ve put in place. We’ve told her what to do outside of school. That’s our only concern about the policy, that the school is handling the safety and notifications.”

Long believes cell phones can prove helpful in emergencies or natural disasters.

“Of course they have concerns that we didn’t have when we were in school,” Long said. “There were days when there was a threat and she heard about it and didn’t want to go to school. So I think that’s a little bit of a concern.”

Other school districts, such as Whiteland Schools, have long-standing strict technology policies that require students to leave their phones at their lockers. Those policies will continue unchanged.

Terry Terhune, director of Greenwood Community Schools Corporation, participated in extensive discussions to assess the impact of the new law.

“I would say the most important thing is cellphones,” Terhune said. “Our policy really hasn’t changed much. We’ve made some provisions where students shouldn’t have them in the classroom, or at least outside of the classroom. They can have them in their backpack, and that’s fine.”

Terhune believes that in the past, the policies of the Greenwood Community Schools Corporation have been very liberal.

“Maybe we’ve been negligent in the past,” Terhune said. “Now we’re going to be a little more like, ‘Hey, we can’t do this because of the laws in our state,’ and we’re going to continue to do what we’ve been doing.”

As the school year progresses, parents and students will need to adapt to new norms while balancing safety and learning in the educational environment.