The Marshall County School District is making waves with a new rule that will require students to lock away their phones during academic hours, and the move isn’t going unnoticed by lawmakers.
Following MCSD’s announcement that the new policy – requiring students fifth through twelfth grades to place phones in locked pouches during the school day – will go into effect this fall. Lt. Gov. Delbert Hosemann said he hopes other school districts will follow suit.
“I’d like for all of our other schools to take a look at that, not only as an interruption in your education system but also from the fact that people get harassed on their [phones],” Hosemann said.
“Look at all the things that are coming out in every publication and every book about the mental health of our young people from being addicted to their iPhones, Samsungs, or whatever. That is materializing into a significant problem.”
Hosemann, a Republican going into the second year of his second term as leader of the Senate, added that he plans to push legislation in 2025 that would encourage all public-school districts across Mississippi to consider cell phone restrictions inside classrooms.
Different from states like Florida and Oklahoma who have statewide bans, Hosemann believes the conversation surrounding cell phones in classrooms needs to end at the local level.
“I want our kids to have a safe place in schools to learn and not be harassed or whatever during the school session,” Hosemann said, noting his office has already met with the Mississippi Department of Education on the topic. “I think you’ll see us do things to allow school boards to make those decisions. Those decisions are best made on the local level, but we want to give them an implementation strategy this year.”
Part of that implementation strategy is expected to revolve around funding. In Marshall County, the lock pouches cost $30 with the district buying the first pouch. If a student damages or loses their pouch, parents will be required to pay for a replacement. During the most recent session, the legislature passed a new K-12 funding formula that resulted in an extra $230 million for public schools. However, additional money will likely need to be allocated for all schools to implement cellphone restrictions.
