Starting in February, Los Angeles Unified School District (LAUSD) students will be required to stow away their cell phones, smartwatches, and earbuds during the school day.
“I think we arrive at a position that strikes a fair balance,” LAUSD Superintendent Alberto Carvalho said while addressing the school board about the new policy.
The new guidelines prohibit the use of cell phones and similar devices at all times during the school day, not just in class. However, there are exceptions.
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Superintendent Carvalho said students with particular types of disabilities that require access to continuous monitoring, for example, will be permitted access to their phones.
Each school will implement its own specific procedures for the cell phone ban, but all schools must ensure that students can access their devices in emergency situations.
Parents might be interested to learn that not every school lockdown would be classified as an emergency warranting phone access.