Arkansas school districts are taking the state up on its offer to help them limit student cellphone usage.
State of play: As of last week, about 200 school districts and public charter schools plan to participate in a state pilot program this school year that will provide pouches for students to store their phones during the school day, according to data from the Arkansas Department of Education (ADE). The program also provides funding for telehealth mental health services.
- There is no cap on how much the state will cover, ADE spokesperson Kimberly Mundell told Axios.
Why it matters: The state wants to help school districts ban cellphones and other devices to combat the child and teen mental health crisis and improve academic performance, Gov. Sarah Huckabee Sanders announced in early July .
Zoom out: Nationwide, cities, states and school districts are banning cellphones at schools, Axios’ Jennifer A. Kingston writes .
- Getting kids off phones during the school day appears to be a nonpartisan issue, as Republican-led states like Florida and Democrat-led states like California all move to restrict cellphones in schools.