Governor’s advisory council says all districts have plans for cellphone-free classrooms

The Governor’s Advisory Council for Student Safety & Well-Being released a report celebrating public schools’ successes after implementing cellphone-free classrooms, according to a Dec. 11 press release. 

“Getting rid of the distraction of cell phones in classrooms prioritizes our students’ well-being and academic achievement and improves their learning environments,” Stein said in the release. “I am encouraged to hear that schools are seeing improved academic outcomes, increased social interactions and engagement, and fewer discipline concerns after implementing their local policy.”

On July 1, Stein signed House Bill 959 into law. The law, which takes effect on Jan. 1, requires school districts to restrict students’ cellphone use during school hours. According to the press release, North Carolina became the 32nd state in the nation to enact this kind of legislation.

The council’s report features a video spotlighting schools that have already enacted policies to limit students’ phone access. 

According to the report, all traditional public school districts have created a local policy in response to the law.

Sen. Democratic Leader Sydney Batch, co-chair of the advisory council, said school leaders have shown urgency to implement the law’s new policies before January.

“Every public school unit now has a plan in place to manage student cell phone use, and most have updated their policies in response to the new law,” Batch said. “That’s incredibly encouraging because these changes are all about creating classrooms where students can focus, learn, and thrive, and that’s a goal we all share.”  

The council released a handbook in June outlining best practices for districts to establish these policies, a requirement in the executive order that created the council, signed by the governor in April. The handbook recommended that school systems eliminate the use of “personal communication devices from the start to the end of the school day.”

The report cites a survey of 20,000 educators nationwide conducted by Phones in Focus, a research initiative led by the University of Pennsylvania and supported by the National Governors Association. According to the survey, schoolwide cellphone policies are associated with reduced phone use during class and improved teacher satisfaction.

The council’s handbook outlined five steps for school leaders to design their cellphone policies. It recommends beginning by communicating the policy’s rationale to families and educators, emphasizing how cell phones affect student health and learning. After building consensus, leaders should engage stakeholders — including students — through surveys, focus groups, or town halls.

The handbook also highlights important considerations for the policy’s design, such as which devices are covered, when and how access would be restricted, necessary exemptions, and anticipated implementation challenges. It encourages pairing the policies with digital literacy training for students and families and urges schools to establish clear metrics — like attendance, mental health indicators, or academic outcomes — to measure policies’ effectiveness.

“It is clear that North Carolina has prioritized student academic achievement and well-being by giving our students eight hours a day Monday through Friday when they can focus on being students free of online pressures and distractions,” the report released last week says. “We feel confident this policy implementation will only continue to show great results for students, educators, and families.”