Dear Editor: Madison School District Board of Education member Nicki Vander Muelen, who is up for reelection on April 7, expressed her opposition to a bell-to-bell phone ban in a recent article, saying it could “out” students with disabilities and increase bullying. I question her reasoning.
The new state law prohibits cell phone use during instructional time but requires exceptions for managing health care, so that would already “out” students who are allowed phones in class.
Furthermore, I cannot find any evidence that bell-to-bell phone bans increase the bullying of students with disabilities. There is, however, evidence that bans decrease bullying overall…