A new California law will require all public schools to have students limit phone usage during the day.
Oakland Unified School District is the last to announce this change.
For the upcoming academic year, texting, calling and scrolling will be prohibited. Students will be required to store their phones in locked spaces from the beginning to end of the school day.
Elementary students will store them in classroom lock boxes. Middle and high school students will lock theirs inside pouches they’ll carry—but won’t be able to open.
“It’s going to take some getting used to, there is going to be some growing pains but we are prepared for it,” OUSD spokesperson John Sasaki
The state’s goal is to increase face to face interaction, prevent cyberbullying and have less distractions during class.
The policy is required for all California public schools, however each district will implement it differently.
Some districts, such as Oakland, will ban phone use during passing periods and lunch rather than just class time.
Researchers tracked more than 43,000 schools nationwide and found locking phones away cut student phone use, but didn’t lead to immediate improvements in test scores, attendance, or cyberbullying. Co-author of the report Thomas Dee says more research is needed to evaluate long-term benefits.
“It may be that phones were never fundamentally the problem or alternatively, it may be that phone bans do not go far enough. We hear from some schools that things like online bullying have simply shifted from phones to laptops and other devices,” he said.
Several Bay Area districts that have already gone phone-free say they’ve seen students more engaged in class and a decline in harassment.
OUSD’s policy will go into effect on Aug. 10.