ANN ARBOR, Mich. (WXYZ) — A petition calling for Ann Arbor Public Schools to ban cell phones during school hours is gaining momentum, with over 700 parents signing on to support the policy change.
The petition asks the district to implement a "first bell to last bell" policy that would prohibit cell phone use throughout the school day. Ann Arbor School Board members discussed the issue during a meeting on Friday.
Hear from parents in the video below
Parents supporting the ban say they want their children to focus in school without screen distractions, while opponents argue it's a matter of safety.
"We all want our kids and students to flourish," said Amiel Handelsman, who started the petition.
Handelsman's children attend Ann Arbor Public Schools, and he says phone use during school hours is spiraling out of control.
"This has an impact in the classroom. It has an impact in the hallways," Handelsman said. "The district has made some efforts. They did a pilot but we are applying a healthy nudge to do more."
Sharon Sorkin, whose children attend Ann Arbor Public Schools, founded a nonprofit called Focus On Education A2 and supports the petition. She says cell phone addiction is impacting both academic performance and mental health.
"I am told you see the kids during lunch all sitting at the table eating their own lunch looking at their phones," Sorkin said. "In education we also know that academic performance goes up, mental health goes up, attention goes up when the kids are not distracted during school hours."
But some parents, like Krystal Kane, fear losing contact with their children during school hours, especially given concerns about school shootings.
"This day and age, you never know what's going to happen," Kane said. "I would feel safer knowing that I could get a hold of my child."
"I would say take the phone. But the fact that these phones have saved children's lives and parents have been able to locate their children. I think it's a must in this day and age," Kane said.
The Ann Arbor School District sent a statement that reads in part: "As the board of education researches and explores this issue, district administrators continue their ongoing work with the existing procedures already in place within our schools to limit phone use during instructional time."
A change in policy likely won't take place this school year.
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