WAYNE, W.Va — As school systems around the state work to comply with a new law banning the use of cell phones in West Virginia classrooms, one county is heading into the academic year confident that it already has a plan that works.
Wayne County Schools implemented a policy almost a year ago that requires students to place their cell phones in designated areas when they enter a classroom. Wayne County Superintendent of Schools Todd Alexander said after prompting from teachers, his office went to work.
“Our faculty came to us and said that cell phones were disruptive in the classroom, and they wanted us to take county-wide action, so we drafted a policy and enacted it,” Alexander said Thursday on MetroNews Midday. “The board approved it in September.”
With that policy in place for the 2024-25 academic year, Alexander said the response from schools in Wayne County has been positive, and reports showed improvements as a result of limiting cell phone usage.
“We heard from several schools that they felt that it was a significant improvement to the learning environment and that there were a lot of issues that they had to deal with in the past that they didn’t have to deal with last year,” he said.
While the issue of cell phones in schools may be divisive in places across the state, Wayne County does not seem to be one of those places. Alexander expected backlash to the decision, which he said simply did not materialize.
“I was expecting to receive calls both ways regarding the policy, but we did not have any negative reaction,” he said.
Concerned parents have not been an issue either, according to Alexander. In fact, he said most of the responses he’s received have supported the policy.
“Most parents that I heard from thought it was a really, really positive step overall,” he said.
West Virginia schools are now required to implement policies that ban the use of cell phones in classrooms following the passage of House Bill 2003, which went into effect on July 9.