DOVER, Del. - Students in Delaware might face a significant change in the coming school year as the General Assembly has approved approximately $300,000 in funding for a pilot program aimed at limiting cell phone usage during school hours.
The proposed program would require students to place their cell phones in pouches or locked boxes for the entire school day. Participation in the program would be determined by district applications, with limited access meaning it could only be implemented in certain schools or classrooms throughout the state.
Sen. Eric Buckson (R - Dover), a strong supporter of the initiative, acknowledges that there may be resistance from parents.
"The plan is to implement it to give school districts the chance to work out the kinks, work with the parents because obviously parents then are going to push back, but if we want to see an improvement in our classrooms that I believe will have an immediate and I mean an immediate direct impact on performance when it comes to test scores or classroom behavior, take the cell phones." Sen. Buckson says.