In this Florida school district, some parents are pushing back against a cellphone ban

TALLAHASSEE, Fla. — It’s no surprise that students are pushing back on cellphone bans in classrooms. But school administrators in one South Florida county working to pull students’ eyes away from their screens are facing some resistance from another group as well – parents.

Since the beginning of the 2024 school year in August, students in Broward County Public Schools, the country’s sixth largest district, have been barred from using cellphones during the school day, including during lunch and breaks, unless given special permission.

The schools are some of the many across the country wrestling with how to crack down on cellphones, at a time when experts say social media use among young people is nearly universal – and that screen time is linked to higher rates of anxiety and depression among kids.

But a survey sent out by the South Florida school district earlier this fall found that of the more than 70,000 students, teachers and parents surveyed, nearly one in five parents believe the cellphone ban is having a negative impact on their student’s wellbeing.

Among the top concerns for the students and parents surveyed is not being able to communicate with their family members, especially in an emergency — an anxiety that cuts deep in the district that’s home to Marjory Stoneman Douglas High School, where a 2018 shooting killed 17 people.

District officials have said students can use their phones during an emergency and that teachers have the flexibility to grant kids access for other reasons too.

“I don’t think any of us thinks kids should be on their phones during class,” said Erin Gohl, a parent and advocate in the district.

“We’re really talking about giving kids tools during those times when they need it,” she added, including letting students use their phones for “positive mental health purposes”.

Officials in the Fort Lauderdale-area district have acknowledged that implementation of the policy has been inconsistent. Some teachers have struggled to monitor students’ phone use, and are facing the reality that for some kids, phones can be a needed tool to access online lessons and turn in assignments, especially for those who don’t have a school-issued laptop. And parents have argued their students are better off with their phones, helping them coordinate afternoon pickup times or text their parents for advice about a school bully.

“I don’t expect students to say — or parents of high schoolers to say — right, that, they don’t want their kids to have cellphones,” said Howard Hepburn, Broward superintendent of schools. “The expectation that we’re going to just have a hard stop is not reality. It takes time.”

Landyn Spellberg, a student advisor to the Broward school board, said there are a lot of benefits to phones — and that the district’s blanket ban isn’t helping students with something many adults still struggle with: learning how to use technology in a healthy way.

“I think it’s important that we teach students about the negatives,” he said. “We don’t inform students of those things.”

___ Kate Payne is a corps member for The Associated Press/Report for America Statehouse News Initiative. Report for America is a nonprofit national service program that places journalists in local newsrooms to report on undercovered issues.