DELTA TOWNSHIP, Mich. — Governor Gretchen Whitmer signed a pair of bills that will require school districts across Michigan to prevent students from using cell phones in the classroom.
During a ceremony at Waverly High School near Lansing on Tuesday, the Governor put her signature on Senate Bill 495 and House Bill 4141 which both received bipartisan support.
The new laws call for districts to create protocols to keep kids off their phones, with a number of exceptions including academic use, medical needs and emergencies such as a bomb or active shooter threat. The specifics language of these policies are left up to districts to define.
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“I’m proud to sign these bipartisan bills that will help prioritize academic success and support youth mental health,” said Whitmer. “We know that when students put their phones down, their grades go up. These bills will help keep kids focused in the classroom and break their growing dependency on screens and social media. We could all benefit from looking up at the world instead of down at our phones.”
Over half of state in the U.S. have a phone ban for classrooms, according to the Governor's Office. Device use has been found to contribute to a rise in anxiety and depression in teens, along with a decrease in attention spans, per Whitmer.
"Phones are addictive. They're an addiction, and they have to be treated as such," said a Waverly High School student. "As young people we are the leaders of today, but we are also the leaders of tomorrow and we have to be ready to take on that responsibility .High school is a place where you learn, you make mistakes, and you grow from them, but it's really hard to do that when your entire life exists within one tiny screen."
Opinions from Rockford
At Rockford Public Schools, middle and high school students are generally prohibited from using their phones in class, though a teacher may allow them for academic use.
This was the case on Tuesday when parent Jason Peterson received a text message from his daughter who had a question about the family's history.
"I've seen varying degrees to which I think flexibility is good," Peterson said about how cell phones should be handled in the classroom.
"I like the principle [of a ban]," he said. "But I do question, on principle, whether it should be a state issue."
As for emergencies, Peterson he says he trusts his children are safe at school and protected by the district's leadership and security team.
"I feel really confident that I’m not going to see emergency situations come out where that would be a need," he said.
As for the rest of Rockford, a post in a local Facebook group revealed a number of opinions, including many in favor of the legislation as a way to remove distractions and decrease cyberbullying.
"[The ban] should have been in place since cell phones came out," said one person.
"It's about time," another said.
Still, one Facebook user said she felt students "should be able to contact someone without permission" in an emergency situation.
"Kids should be able to have possession of their phones at all times," she said.
In a statement to FOX 17, Rockford Public Schools Superintendent Steve Matthews said, "In my opinion, cell phone bans are useful but what is most useful are teachers who create engaging, interesting, and meaningful lessons for students. When teachers do that, students are not interested in their phones."
