COLUMBIA, S.C. — Tuesday evening, during their regular Board of Trustees meeting, the Richland Two School District discussed what banning electronic devices in the classroom would look like.
It's all part of ensuring district compliance with the device ban that the state passed earlier this year and tied to district funding.
Richland Two Superintendent Dr. Kim D. Moore said the district is trying to enact a policy that works for everyone.
"We recognize that parents have concerns. We know safety is always in the forefront of parents and our minds. We also want parents to partner with us to help their children understand that this is something that they have to do," Moore said.
According to a proviso in this year’s state budget, each school district must adopt the state’s restrictions on electronic devices during the school day and have those restrictions in place by January.
The state does allow each district some flexibility in how the restrictions are implemented.
For Richland Two, that means allowing students to use their devices on buses, at field trips and during athletic events.
It also means that the superintendent can designate principals as having the power to decide under what circumstances students may use devices as an educational aid.
The policy under consideration by the board would require students to keep all personal devices off and out of sight during the entirety of the school day.
The new policy will have exceptions for students that are required to have devices for medical or educationally necessary purposes.
Students pushed back on the policies.
Jordan Benjamin, a senior at Spring Valley High School, spoke on behalf of her fellow students.
She encouraged the board to consider exceptions for devices during after school events and to consider future changes that take into account student downtime during the school day, should the state allow.
"Specifically, we'd like to push for a change in regulations to be more inclusive of students who have gap periods and students in study hall. We hope that you take our suggestions into consideration and vote that way," Benjamin told the board.
We reached out on social media for viewers’ thoughts on the device ban, and they didn’t disappoint.
Victor Green said no to phones during school hours. He suggested that in emergencies, parents can contact the school or the teacher.
Donna Jean said she doesn’t see how limiting devices would improve safety in the classroom. She suggested more focus be put on developing a plan to eliminate school shootings.
Mary Ann Haynes Adams said her daughter attends a private school with a strict no phone policy and she likes it. She said there are phones in the classroom for the teacher and that students can pull their phones out during an emergency.
Tuesday was the first reading of the policy. The Richland Two School Board will vote on whether to approve the new policy at their next meeting on November 15th. That meeting is scheduled to start at 4:30 p.m.