Phone-free learning begins in Berkeley County schools

When Berkeley County students returned to school on Jan. 7, they faced a new reality: a stricter ban on cell phones and personal electronic devices.

 

The policy, aimed at improving academic performance and reducing distractions, requires K-12 students to keep personal electronic devices, including cell phones, smartwatches, and tablets, turned off and stored away during the school day. 

 

The statewide initiative follows a budget proviso mandating all districts implement phone-free environments or risk losing funding. 

 

Berkeley County School District  presented its administrative rule for the new policy during the Jan. 6 school board meeting, where Chief Administrator Shameka Washington outlined the district’s compliance expectations and consequences for violations. 

 

“We’re taking more of an educational approach to this versus the punitive approach that we’ve seen in other places,” she said. “We really want our students in class and engaged in meaningful instruction.”  

 

Under the ban, devices must be stored in lockers or backpacks during school hours, with exceptions for medical needs or accommodations in IEPs or 504 plans. Parents needing to contact their children during the day are directed to call the school’s main office.  

 

However, the policy prohibits student phone use even during emergencies, citing concerns over safety and communication interference. 

 

“Cell phone use by students can hamper rumor control and, in doing so, disrupt and delay effective public safety personnel response,” explained the policy guidance.

 

Policy violations may lead to student and parent conferences, in-school suspension, or behavioral contracts for chronic offenders. Additionally, Washington emphasized that outdated practices like long-term confiscation are being replaced. 

 

“No student will leave school with their device stored anywhere… If the phone is taken by an administrator, the student would not leave school without that device that day,” Washington said. “We felt strongly as a committee that our students need to have access to their phones after school hours. Many parents have tracking devices like Life360 on their phones, and that’s how they know that their kids are getting home safely.” 

 

The policy has sparked mixed reactions among parents. Kristen Scanlon, whose son attends Philip Simmons High School, criticized how phone confiscations and consequences have been handled in the past.

 

“I had to speak to the school to get my son’s phone back, assuring them I would not allow him to bring it to school – a phone that I own and that I pay for,” Scanlon said. “How can you take something away from a student and keep it when that student isn’t even old enough to be the sole owner of the device? I also had to call the director of pupil services to stop his school suspension from happening. I mean what happened to detentions? Do we do those anymore?”

 

Kelly Davis, another Clements Ferry Road parent, voiced concerns over safety during emergencies. “Phones are more than just social media devices. In school shootings, students are often the first to call 911, helping police respond faster. This policy could delay lifesaving action.”

 

Others view the policy as a positive change. 

 

“This is long overdue,” Mark Whitman said, a Daniel Island father of two. “When we were kids, we didn’t need phones to get through the day. Students will focus better without Snapchat and TikTok.”

 

BCSD parents can learn more or address specific concerns by visiting bcsdschools.net/o/bcsd/page/phone.