BETHLEHEM — The knowledge of the world and the power of a super computer is in most teens’ pockets, but school officials are desperate to keep them out of students’ hands.
Cellphones have become a scourge in most schools: Social media can be abused to bully people or cheer on destructive acts, and watching videos or playing games is far more common than using the device to learn.
Most schools started with hard bans on having smartphones out during the day, but some districts have gradually eased up over the years. For example, students were delighted in Schenectady city schools when their request to use their phones during lunch was granted in 2011.
But now some school officials worry that games and videos have replaced in-person interaction. In Bethlehem, school officials recently decided to ban phones for the entirely of the school day starting in the fall, believing it will lead to students socializing more.
While many schools allow cellphones at lunch and often during study halls, Bethlehem officials are specifically aiming at restricting them during non-instructional time as well.
“This is when we want our students to be social and interact with one another,” Superintendent Dave Hurst told the school board at a meeting last week.
Teachers had been asking students during class to put away their phones or put them in pouches hanging on a wall of the classroom. That “to some extent has curtailed phone use in classrooms, but not entirely,” Hurst said.
So to solve both problems, the school board is planning to spend $26,773 on Yondr, lockable bags that will be issued to every student this fall. They have magnetic locks that open when tapped against an unlocking base; there will be several at the high school for students to use when they leave the building.
Hurst said his push to be more restrictive…
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