PALM SPRINGS, Fla. — A Palm Beach County middle school is taking an aggressive approach to making sure students aren't distracted by cell phones during the day.
This school year, much of the focus has been on a new cell phone ban policy in the Martin County School District, where nearly 300 wireless devices were confiscated from students during the first week of school.
Education
CRACKDOWN: Nearly 300 wireless devices taken away from Martin County students
However, WPTV News anchor Hollani Davis recently learned about a Palm Beach County school that implemented a new cell phone policy this year.
Hollani spoke to a mother who didn't want to go on camera in order to conceal her daughter's identity. But the mother said she doesn't like the new program at Palm Springs Community Middle School, where students are restricted from accessing their phones during the school day.
"As a parent, I don't appreciate it," the mother said.
The mother said it's not just the safety element and being able to quickly get a hold of her child in the age of school shootings that worries her.
"There's a lot of concern. Not only a safety concern. But also if I have to get her a quick message, she has to be pulled out of class," the mother said.
The School District of Palm Beach County declined WPTV's request for an interview. But a spokesperson for the district confirmed that Palm Springs Middle School is using a program this year called Yondr.
The parent said that when students get to campus, their phones are locked in a magnetic pouch that can only be accessed at the end of the day.
The shift to school cell phone bans seems to be growing. According to Dana Bryson, who focuses on social impact in her role as the senior vice president for Study.com, educators are overwhelmingly in favor of strict cellphone policies.
A 2024 report by Study.com found 78% of Florida educators said students are more engaged when strict cell phone bans are in place at school. 70% of Florida educators report they see an improvement in student safety, including mental health, when strict bans (bans set forth by a school's administration or a school district) are in place. The study found 68% of Florida educators back cell phone bans, attributing them to better classroom management.
"21% percent of teachers say they spend more than an hour a week dealing with, policing cell phones. When you think about all that we ask of our educators, what could they do with one more hour in a week?" Bryson said.
But the mom who spoke to WPTV News anchor Hollani Davis said she feels cut off from her daughter who suffers from anxiety. She believes relying on a school's front office to deliver messages to students is more disruptive than letting kids use their phones.
"Now you have kids coming in and out of class. In and out of class for something as simple as [telling your child\ you're taking the bus home, or such and such is picking you up," the mother said.
In a letter to families at the beginning of the school year, the administration at Palm Springs Community Middle School said the students gave the new cell phone ban glowing reviews.
The School District of Palm Beach County said Palm Springs Community Middle School used $40,000 of its own money for the pilot program. We don't know if there are plans to keep it after this school year or expand it to other schools.
