We have seen a marked increase in the past few years in the normalization of school boards creating restrictive learning environments, such as district-wide bans on electronic devices with few exceptions or campus-wide bans on curriculum and books. With school districts in Texas leading the way, these intrusions into educational space have a detrimental effect on students’ academic and social development and prioritize short-term control over long-term educational improvement.
Starting this school year, many North Texas school districts are moving to a completely phone-free learning environment, banning cellphones, iPads and unauthorized laptops in classrooms.
Richardson Independent School District was one of the first to introduce cell phone free learning into the educational culture in North Texas. The district started the trend of purchasing Yondr pouches for students to store their devices. These pouches use a magnetic locking mechanism that prevents students from accessing their phones while the lock is enabled. Students must go through this procedure under supervision every time they enter a classroom or other cell phone free area on campus.
The driving force behind these cell phone bans is the correlation that school committees have noted between cell phones and a variety of behavioral issues among students. When asked about the reasoning behind Keller’s new cell phone ban, Keller Independent School District Superintendent Tracy Johnson told Fox 4 News that “the majority of disciplinary actions are cell phone related,” citing planned fights, bullying and the sale of e-cigarettes as examples.
Not only is the vague link between cell phone use and student disciplinary actions fundamentally flawed, but behavioral problems can stem from a variety of causes, ranging from personal or family-related issues to cultural differences in the classroom, according to Carnegie Mellon University’s Eberly Center for Excellence in Teaching and Innovation in Education.
Attributing such a pervasive problem solely to cell phone use is counterproductive to finding solutions that will improve the academic lives of all students.
Enforcing such strict school-wide cell phone bans only undermines administrators’ ability to properly teach students how to use technology effectively in an educational setting. For example, Lancaster Independent School District has adopted a more constructive approach to cell phone use in the classroom. The district requires middle and high school students to take a certified digital citizenship course that teaches them how to use electronic devices responsibly, and has decided to work with students rather than resorting to the extreme measure of a cell phone ban.
The cell phone ban is just the latest topic being pushed at school board meetings, while curriculum censorship and book bans have been consistent discussions among administrators and parents within the district. In a 2023 report, PEN America, a national nonprofit that works on freedom of expression, found that Texas school districts have the most book bans in the country, with 438 cases and a total of 1,567 books on the banned list.
Discussions on critical race theory, sexuality, and different perspectives of marginalized communities are the main issues motivating hardliners to implement these bans. Even some biology textbooks have been audited to remove certain chapters containing information on climate change and diversity from the mandatory curriculum.
These topics have become heavily politicized across Texas, and Governor Greg Abbott has signed multiple Texas House bills that further restrict how schools can address these topics. In a post on Twitter (formerly known as X), Governor Abbott said, “Schools are a place for education, not indoctrination,” suggesting that banned materials that offer diverse perspectives would push a political agenda into the educational arena.
While those behind the ban may be concerned about the potential indoctrination contained within certain curricula, educational institutions should always remain objective when teaching students any subject, regardless of the political climate of the school district, so that they can provide students with a well-rounded, well-rounded education that is not influenced by the political agendas of parents, school boards, or administrators.
At such a critical time of increasing political polarization, enabling students to learn without the constraints of censorship or bans, access diverse perspectives, and understand the importance of technological literacy is more important than ever to educate informed and capable students.
