LAUSD enacts phone-free school day to support students’ mental health

HUNTINGTON PARK,CA-Starting Tuesday, February 18, all the Los Angeles Unified School District (LAUSD) campuses began banning cell phones and all smart devices during school hours. LAUSD says the phone-free school day policy supports students’ academic success and well-being. Board members agreed that smartphones and social media erode students’ mental health, prohibit them from having in-person social connections, and distract their learning days. 

The motion was initially presented by Board Member Nick Melvoin and approved in a 5-2 vote in June 2024.  The policy makes LAUSD the largest school district that has implemented this ban. 

Some schools started the ban a while back. One of them, for example, is Linda Marquez High School in Huntington Park. While it helps to prevent distractions, parents have different opinions. 

Veronica Garcia has a son who is in ninth grade at Linda Marquez. She said the rule in every classroom is to leave the cell phone with the teacher when they enter and pick it up when they leave. The same procedure applies in every classroom. However, she thinks this is too much work for the students and a big responsibility for teachers in case these smartphones get lost. 

“Students should have their phones off because they don’t really pay attention to teachers,” said Garcia. “But I don’t like the response from LAUSD because they haven’t agreed to take responsibility if any of these phones get lost.”

She said the school is in the process of implementing a new method to give students some type of magnetic bags so they can keep their phones there while in school.

Garcia said she understands there is a lot of distraction with smartphones, but these are different times, too. Students are very aware and many times they are scared of shootings, school fights and other incidents that require quick communication with their parents.

Heidi Galicia agreed with some of Garcia’s comments. She has two children, one in 11th grade at Linda Marquez and another in seventh grade at Walnut Park Middle School. 

Galicia is part of Our Voice, a parent group that supports students’ quality education and they have brought this topic to the table. 

She thinks smartphones are a social distraction and that their removal could be a good thing to help students become more critical thinkers. 

“I feel some students are not using their brains to their full potential because it is easy for them to get answers from the internet on their phones,” she said. “I know there are also some [phone] applications with all the answers to certain tests.” 

Another member of Our Voice, Rocio Elorza, who has children in 10th and seventh grades, said once her children turn on their phones, they become easily distracted by social media.

“They start with Instagram and then move to TikTok,” she said. “They can stay there for a long time.” 

Elorza said her children know they should not respond to texts or check social media while in classes. She said she cannot confirm they don’t do it, but at least they know the rules.

Both mothers worry about their children in an emergency and not having phone access. 

“For example, if there is a fight at school, they have to communicate with us,” said Elorza. 

Implementing the ban

LAUSD said the schools were given leeway to determine how they would implement the specifics of the cellphone ban. 

“Approximately half of the schools chose to utilize magnetic pouches or a different product, with the remaining schools moving forward without any product and operating on the honor system,” said an LAUSD spokesperson. “Parents and students are aware of their schools’ current policies and can contact their school directly with any questions.”

LAUSD’s ban follows existing law, AB3216, which authorizes school districts, county offices of education or charter schools to adopt a policy to limit or prohibit the use of smartphones while students are at school sites or under the supervision of school employees or school districts. 

Governor Gavin Newsom approved AB3216 on September 23, 2024. It requires all California school districts, charter schools, and the county of education to adopt a policy to limit or prohibit the use of smartphones by July 1, 2026. The policy should be updated every five years.