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Fairplay, Phone-Free Schools Movement announce partnership, tools to help remove phones in schools

Fairplay and the Phone-Free Schools Movement (“PFSM”) today announced a partnership aimed at helping K-12 students excel academically and socially by eliminating the harms and pressures caused by phones in schools.

The collaboration between Fairplay, the leading nonprofit committed to helping children thrive in an increasingly commercialized, screen-obsessed culture, and PFSM, the leaders of a growing movement to remove phones from the school day, is kicking off with the release today of the Phone-Free Schools Administrator Toolkit. This free toolkit is a comprehensive guide to help administrators transition to a phone-free environment for the entire school day.

Over the coming months, other offerings will emerge from the partnership, including a toolkit for “ambassadors” — community members who advocate for phone-free schools — and campaigns to aid educators and policymakers in making the change families are clamoring for.

The growing movement for phone-free schools has found that schools can reclaim the educational environment and eliminate the distractions and harms of phones in school, and educators and families are cheering the results.

Read more here. 

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Governor Kathy Hochul kicked off her statewide listening tour at Guilderland High School, meeting with superintendents from Guilderland, Albany, and Schoharie, as well as local teachers and union leaders. During the session, Hochul highlighted a concerning trend: “72% of teachers across the nation reported that cellphones are a major distraction for students in their classrooms.”

Hochul emphasized the unique challenges faced by today’s students, stating, “The reality is that this generation, more than others, is being subjected to distractions that never existed the way they are now.”

In her discussions with school officials, Hochul noted, “The principals and superintendents also told me about what happens when students are there capturing everything that happens with their cell phone. It’s instigating more fights, and they’re setting up activities that they want to capture so they can become a social media star themselves. So it’s feeding itself and constantly calls attention away from their studies.”

Read more here. 

Legislation ensures criminals who exploit adults or children by sharing intimate images online are held accountable 

WASHINGTON – U.S. Senators Amy Klobuchar (D-MN) and John Cornyn (R-TX) announced their bipartisan legislation to address the online exploitation of explicit, private images has passed the Senate. Current state laws offer incomplete and inconsistent protection for victims of non-consensual image exploitation and abuse. The Stopping Harmful Image Exploitation and Limiting Distribution (SHIELD) Act would provide federal law enforcement with the tools they need to crack down on serious privacy violations.

“Current laws are not sufficient to protect victims of online abuse and harassment,” said Klobuchar. “We need to provide victims, including children, with the legal protection they need when intimate images are shared without their consent. My SHIELD Act with Senator Cornyn does just that and will help ensure that exploiters will be held accountable.” 

“Those who have had their digital privacy violated shouldn’t have to fear that their abusers will go unpunished,” said Cornyn. “Our legislation will help ensure criminals who share private images of others online, including explicit photos of children, are held accountable to the fullest extent of the law.”  

Read more here.

Watch Here. #BeAWarrior

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.

Read more here. 

Most people do not know much about the Salvation Army. They think of the red kettles and bells at Christmas time.

The Salvation Army is just this. An Army. Please read newest report and understand what is really happening, and escalating, surrounding human trafficking.

2 0 2 3  A N N U A L  R E P O R T “JOINING HANDS FOR TRANSFORMATION”

Most parents know that having a consistent daily schedule is a goal worth having — how else are we supposed to get all the things done if it’s not built into a routine? But parents are also familiar with the fact that raising kids comes with tons of ups and downs, and a consistent daily schedule doesn’t always feel like an attainable goal, even if we know it’s important.

But we’re here to tell you that first, it’s definitely possible! Sometimes, it just takes a little trial and error to find the routine that works best for your family. And secondly, having a daily schedule for kids comes with deeper, more substantial advantages than you may realize. Here’s what you need to know.

Read more here.