Idaho aims to remove cellphone distractions from the classroom

BOISE, Idaho (KMVT/KSVT) — Idaho leaders are pushing to keep cell phones from distracting students in the classroom.

Gov. Brad Little and Idaho Superintendent of Public Instruction Debbie Critchfield announced the Phone Free Learning Act on Thursday. The act encourages school districts to develop a policy by the end of the year and offers a $5,000 award.

State leaders said the focus is on improving the learning environment, but they also want schools to consider students' medical and emotional needs.

“We’re asking districts when they consider these policies to consider the availability if there’s an emergency for safety, also health needs,” Critchfield said. “Some of our students are diabetic and have technology needs. We have students that are non-verbal and so this promotion about a phone-free learning environment is so important. But it’s also a local control decision that will take in the needs of students in classes.”

For parents concerned with limiting access to phones during school hours, Critchfield said there are still ways of communicating without impacting learning.

“If a child needs to get a hold of a parent, there’s a way for that to happen. In the classroom, the phone is nearby and not in a pocket, and not somewhere where it becomes a distraction and really limits a child’s ability to experience what’s going on in the room.”

The money awarded to schools that develop a cellphone policy will help them buy locks or other storage solutions for phones in classrooms. The funds will come from the remaining COVID-19 dollars the state has yet to use.

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