The move has caught on across the country….
Gov. Gavin Newsom called on Tuesday for a statewide ban on smartphone use in California schools, joining a growing national effort to curb cyberbullying and classroom distraction by limiting access to the devices.
Mr. Newsom, who has four school-age children, said he would work this summer with state lawmakers to dramatically restrict phone use during the school day in the nation’s most populous state. His directive came hours before board members at the Los Angeles Unified School District, the country’s second-largest school district, voted to pursue their own smartphone ban that could begin in January.
“When children and teens are in school, they should be focused on their studies, not their screens,” Mr. Newsom said in a statement.
The effort to curb devices on campus has transcended political lines, as Republican-led states like Florida and Indiana already have instituted their own restrictions. New York City leaves it up to individual campuses to determine their own policies after dropping a blanket cellphone ban in 2015, but Gov. Kathy Hochul said last month that she would pursue a statewide prohibition in 2025….
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Some parents in the past have objected to prohibitions because they fear losing access to their children in the case of a school shooting or other emergency. And teachers unions have been reluctant to take on the responsibility of having to enforce the policies, though they also have welcomed efforts to prevent distractions….