Story from WOODTV: As more schools ban cellphone use in the classroom, one district in West Michigan says it is seeing results after putting more restrictions in place in 2019. The principal of Northern Hills Middle School, which is part of Forest Hills Public Schools, says the policy has helped students better focus in the classroom and the staff has had very few issues with students breaking the rules. Indiana and Ohio recently passed laws restricting cellphone use in schools.
“Here at Northern Hills Middle School, we ask students when they come to school that their phone stays in their locker during the school day. We ask them that they don’t check that during passing time,” Principal David Simpson said.
He used to see cellphones as a tool to increase access to online resources but changed his view after seeing more research on the impact they have on kids.
“We started seeing in 2012 students reporting loneliness, students’ depression going up, students struggling in school and what happened in 2012, in late 2012, that was the first time that smart phone adoption had increased past the 50th percentile,” Simpson said.
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