GREENVILLE, S.C. (FOX Carolina) – The South Carolina Department of Education (SCDE) will soon be working to draft a policy banning the use of cell phones and other personal electronic communications devices in classrooms.
A proviso included in the state’s FY 2024-25 budget says that in order for school districts to receive state funding, they will need to implement the policy adopted by the State Board of Education.
“To receive state funds allocated for State Aid to Classrooms, a school district shall implement a policy adopted by the State Board of Education that prohibits access to personal electronic communication devices by students during the school day. For purposes of this provision, a personal electronic communication device is considered to be a device not authorized for classroom use by a student, utilized to access the Internet, wi-fi, or cellular telephone signals.”
A legal advisor for SCDE sent a memo to all state superintendents at the end of June about plans for the policy if the budget passed. The memo says more than half of the teachers they surveyed supported a complete ban of cell phones during the school day.
