Lakeside Union School District exploring cell phone ban

SAN DIEGO (FOX 5/KUSI) — Lakeside Union School District could be the latest in the county to ban cell phones from the classroom.

During its regularly scheduled meeting on Monday, the East County school district’s board is set to take up the question of whether to limit student cell phone usage, which could guide any potential measures restricting devices.

According to Lakeside Union Board President Andrew Hayes, a July survey within the district found “a significant majority support” — about 62.1% of parents and 87.8% of staff members — for limitations on cell phone use during school hours.

The discussion comes on the heels of recent pushes, including calls from Gov. Gavin Newsom and the state legislature, to address distractions like cell phones in the classroom.

Supporters of these policies argue they benefit student productivity and academic outcomes while reducing behavior-related issues.

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“I urge every school district to act now to restrict smartphone use on campus as we begin the new academic year,” Newsom wrote in an Aug. 13 letter to California school districts. “The evidence is clear: reducing phone use in class leads to improved concentration, better academic outcomes, and enhanced social interactions.”

However, opponents have raised concerns about a possible ban’s impact on parental accessibility to students in the event of an emergency.

Back in July, when the district was conducting its survey, Hayes expressed some of these reservations about banning cell phones from classrooms, raising questions about safety and scope of any potential measures.

“The question really is, instead of just banning something outright, give us a pathway, give us a roadmap of what that looks like,” he said. Monday’s discussion could lay out some of the next steps for the district as they explore crafting a cell phone policy.

Los Angeles Unified was the first major district in Southern California to implement such a policy limiting cell phone usage, with Carlsbad Unified following suit. At least one public charter school in San Diego, Urban Discovery Academy, similarly has a ban on cell phone usage.

San Diego Unified, the largest district in the county, is also looking at implementing a policy on school cell phone usage, although it has not yet come to a vote.

Heather Lake and Delaney White contributed to this report.

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