‘A distraction for years.’ Central Ky. high school bans cell phones in classrooms
Bourbon County High School is banning cell phones in the classroom.
“For several reasons, all of which lead to best preparing our students to enter the college/workforce/military world after graduation, (Bourbon County High School) will be moving to no cell phones in the classroom,” district officials said this week in a Facebook post.
Parents are being asked to talk with students about the change over the summer break.
“As superintendent, I support the school in being courageous in looking for ways to improve the school,” Bourbon Superintendent Larry Joe Begley told the Herald-Leader. “To my understanding, this is not a result of one incident or new issues…cell phones have been a distraction in the classroom for years and this has been discussed before… talking about it all the time has largely been ineffective.”
“I have no problem with trying something and seeing how it goes ... especially when that something involves safety, expectations, accountability and student achievement all at the same time,” Begley said.
The policy
The policy said cell phones and other personal devices such as gaming devices, AirPods and headphones are not permitted in the classroom, with the exception of students who need accommodation for medical reasons.
Under the policy, upon arrival to class, all students will place their cell phones and other personal devices in an assigned locker space.
Personal electronic devices may be used during transition times, in the cafeteria during lunch and before and after school.
Personal electronic devices may not be used to take pictures, videos, or audio without the consent of the individual being recorded. When students are using headphones in the common areas of the building they are responsible for hearing all announcements and information given verbally and responsible for responding appropriately to verbal requests from all staff.
On the first offense, teachers will remind students to place cell phones and other personal devices in assigned locker locations.
On the second offense, teachers will inform parents, and on the third offense, students will face discipline. Failure to put the cell phone and other personal devices away when asked will be considered “defiance” and will result in discipline.
Kirsten Nicoulin, assistant principal of Bourbon County High School, said teachers have asked for three years to help them deal with cell phone issues.
“I think it speaks to the leadership not just listening to teachers … but hearing them,” she said.
Begley said he had heard some concerns from parents.
“The majority of the feedback has been positive,” he said. “There have been some that have concerns. But we are working with them in a one on one basis to ease their concerns. “
Bill failed
In the 2024 General Assembly, a bill did not pass that would have forbidden Kentucky students from using personal cellphones during instruction, except during an emergency or if told to do so by a teacher “for an instructional purpose.”
State Rep. Josh Bray, R-Mount Vernon, previously told the Herald-Leader he filed House Bill 383 after hearing from teachers “having issues with (phones) in the classroom.”
Cellphone use policies within K-12 schools are handled by decision-making councils at each school, Bray said. He said some schools don’t have any policy against them.
Begley said the high school decision making council had approved the cell phone policy at Bourbon County High, and he anticipated that the middle school would “follow suit.”
In January, the National Center for Education Statistics reported that in 2021-22, higher percentages of elementary schools (87 percent), middle schools (77 percent), and schools with other grades combined (70 percent) reported having policies that prohibited the nonacademic use of cellphones in school, compared to high/secondary schools (43 percent).
