Gov. Murphy expected to sign bill banning cell phone usage in NJ schools
Assemblywoman Vicki Flynn says now is the time to have those conversations with your children and speak up at board of education meetings to help draft a policy that works in your district.
Gov. Phil Murphy is expected to sign the bill banning cell phone usage in schools, and it’s expected to be a hot topic between parents and students over the holiday break.
“My school, we are not allowed to go on our phones. We’re allowed to bring it and keep it in our locker,” said 12-year-old Maya Cortez, a student in West Long Branch.
But not every district follows the same guidelines as hers.
“The problem is the kids feel safer. I, as a parent, feel safer if they have their cell phone in case of an emergency,” said parent Christian Cortez.
RELATED: New Jersey state lawmakers advance school cellphone ban
“I’m passionate about a bell-to-bell ban on cell phones, which I think would have a huge positive impact on scores and the mental health of our kids,” Murphy said during an appearance on News 12’s "Ask Governor Murphy."
With that endorsement, the bill to allow the New Jersey Department of Education to create those guidelines sailed through Trenton this week and now awaits his signature.
Assemblywoman Vicki Flynn says now is the time to have those conversations with your children and speak up at board of education meetings to help draft a policy that works in your district.
“In the last 10 or 15 years we’ve seen school scores drop. Academic performance drop and the access to mobile phones increase,” Flynn said. “The (local) boards of education are going to have some level of discretion on guidelines to adopt the policy that works in their town.”
The goal is to focus on learning and less on distractions.
“A lot of kids sneak it into classes and that’s what they’re doing lately,” Maya added.
Local districts will have plenty of time to plan because the ban isn’t scheduled to go into effect until the 2026-2027 school year.
