Gov. Cox sent letters to all Utah principals, councilmembers and the State Board of Education urging school leaders and teachers to ban phones from classrooms.
The letters were another part of his wider campaign against social media’s harmful effects on youth. The Utah Senate announced in December that social media use will be on the 2024 legislative agenda.
In the letters Cox said, “Cell phone-free learning environments will help our teachers teach and our students learn. We want to give our schools every opportunity to succeed and so I hope our local school districts and charter schools will join me in this effort to keep phones in backpacks or lockers during class time.”
Alison Moore is an English teacher at The Winter School in Park City. She said she asks students to put their phones in the wall pockets at the beginning of class.
“And most of the students do it, I'll be honest with you, I don't police it that often. Because my energy, I think, is more useful in other places. So, if I’ve noticed nobody's putting their cell phone away then I ask them to. And typically, they're really good about once I've called them out, putting their cell phones up.”
Moore said there are some projects during the year where the students use their cell phones such as films and yearbooks. However, she said for teachers who are dealing with younger students, she realizes phones in class are a huge distraction.
“And it's just one more piece of energy that teachers have to put forth to get their attention. They've gotten so used to parents giving them their smartphones, when they're like eight, or younger, they're so accustomed to the second that they're bored, or the second they don't have an answer, they go to their phones. And so critical thinking can’t happen with a cell phone as a distraction.”
Park City School District spokesperson Heidi Matthews said in a statement, “We stand in agreement with Gov. Cox's concerns regarding the impact of cell phones on learning environments and student well-being. In the Park City School District, each school's current practices allow limited cell phone usage primarily before, after, and during lunch times. We emphasize the necessity for any potential policies to be developed collaboratively with parents, ensuring that they do not overly burden educators with enforcement responsibilities. The safety and well-being of our students are of paramount importance to us and we share the Governor's commitment to creating a conducive learning environment.”
According to Cox’s office, several Utah schools have already implemented a school-wide cell phone ban including Delta High School in the Millard School District and Evergreen Junior High in the Granite School District.
