Public K-12 students are not allowed to use their cellphones during school hours, and the state Department of Education wants to give students materials explaining the detriments of too much screen time. (Photo by Jacques Julien/Getty Images)
COLUMBIA — Public school students can’t use their cellphone during school hours, and the state Department of Education wants nearly $18 million to explain why.
As part of an initiative to get students off their phones, the agency is asking legislators for money to buy curriculum explaining the negative effects of screen time. The education department would partner with ScreenStrong, a North Carolina-based nonprofit that sells books and courses educating children and their parents about how screens can hinder learning and other parts of their lives…