Queen Creek Unified limits students’ cell phones use

As Arizona Superintendent of Public Instruction Tom Horne pushes for legislation banning cell phone use in classrooms, the Queen Creek Unified School District already has its own policy.

“QCUSD’s current policy prohibits the use of cell phones during class unless specific permission is given by a staff member,” stated Amanda deNight, QCUSD director of marketing and public relations, in an email.

On Aug. 22, Horne held a press conference where he discussed revisiting legislation to ban student cell phone use in classrooms across the state. A similar house bill was vetoed by Gov. Katie Hobbs last session.

That bill called for restricting students’ access to social media platforms on internet-connected school devices. It would have also limited use of personal and school-provided wireless communication devices outside of teacher instruction. This restriction would have gone beyond classrooms, extending to lunch and passing periods.

“(Cell phone use) has become the heroin of our time, and we really have to take action against it,” Horne said at the press conference.

The vetoed bill would have bypassed existing Arizona laws that give local education organizations authority to create rules around cell phone use.

Various school districts across the state, such as QCUSD, already have cell phone policies in place either implemented by school boards, district officials or individual schools.

“All devices must be out of sight during class unless they are being used for acceptable educational purpose,” deNight stated. “QCUSD is committed to maintaining a safe and distraction-free environment for our students.”

Mary Goldmeer and Philip Haldiman contributed to this report. We’d like to invite our readers to submit their civil comments, pro or con, on this issue. Email AZOpinions@iniusa.org. Janet Perez can be reached at jperez@iniusa.org.