Since last week, over 270 Scarborough residents have signed a petition demanding that smartphone use be prohibited in all of the region’s public schools.
Discussions concerning the use of technology in the classroom, in particular its potential for distraction and detrimental effects on students’ wellbeing, have been spurred by this expanding trend.
Stephanie Fraone, a mom whose child attends the middle school, is one of the people who is endorsing the petition. Fraone is concerned about the effects of children’s continuous device use on their developing brains and feels that cellphones are a major distraction in the classroom.
“Does that impact how she’s taking in information, processing that information, storing that information, being able to retrieve that information on a test?” Fraone stated.
However, she is not in favor of outright prohibiting students from carrying cell phones to class. Fraone understands that in order to do things like work or get in touch with parents, students must have access to phones before or after school.
In order to see how beneficial such measures have been, Fraone and other worried parents are interested in investigating bans in other Maine schools.
They are thinking of implementing regulations that would limit distractions while yet permitting access when needed, such mandating that students keep their phones in a central spot or pouch during the school day.
This plan coincides with over 30 school districts in Maine voting to restrict or outright ban cellphone use in classrooms back in August, which fueled the debate on the subject.
Parent and former teacher Fred Follansbee backed the prohibition, saying it would help teachers by reducing their workload. Follansbee claims that having cellphones in the classroom presents teachers with ongoing difficulties in maintaining pupils’ attention and engagement.
“Kids need boundaries, and this is the best way to establish those boundaries,” Follansbee stated.
Shannon Lindstrom, the head of the Scarborough school board, noted that although a policy regarding cellphone use already exists, it hasn’t been revised since 2017.
There are no particular guidelines for other times of the school day, although phones are prohibited during class hours. According to Lindstrom, the board is currently considering how to amend this guideline and is considering the residents’ appeal for a more stringent approach.
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Nonetheless, a second petition from some parents and students who are against the ban is also being considered by the board. These people have voiced worries about how crucial it is to have access to telephones in an emergency, arguing that this could be a serious safety hazard.
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The policy committee will convene on February 4 to talk about the existing cellphone policy, possible revisions, and petitions from proponents and opponents of the ban in order to address both sides of the debate.
Finding a balance between reducing distractions and making sure students have the tools to communicate when needed will be the goal of the conversation.
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