At Hamilton County Schools, students can have phones at school as long as they are not seen or heard, but some school board members hope to change that.
Under the policy Board Chair Joe Smith, R-Hixson, proposed Thursday, students would not be able to use or possess cell phones and other personal communication devices while on campus during the regular school day. Exceptions are included for certain students with disabilities.
District officials oppose the change.
“From an implementation standpoint, I think there’s some belief from some of the members of the board that this is going to solve the enforcement issue,” Superintendent Justin Robertson said. “It’s not going to solve the enforcement issue. You’re still going to have the same concerns.”
The board voted to move the discussion around cell phone use to the March 4 policy committee meeting. Smith was the lone no vote on deferring the discussion.
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The district’s current cell phone use policy allows students to store their phones in backpacks, lockers and some other locations during the school day. Principals, as well as others they designate, can give students permission to use the devices for a class assignment, and each high school can choose whether to allow students to use phones in designated areas during lunch.
Several board members raised concerns about students not being able to possess a phone during the school day.
“I want my kid to be able to have access to their phone if there’s an emergency or if they need to change transportation arrangements or something like that,” school board member Jill Black, D-Chattanooga, said. “If they don’t have a car to store a phone in, the way that this policy is written, it indicates that they can’t have a phone at all on school property because … they would be at school for a school day before any sort of activities afterwards.”
Board attorney Scott Bennett said he believes possession implies on a student’s person, and it would not prevent students from storing a phone in a car or locker. Some board members noted that not every student has a car, nor does every school have assigned lockers.
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School board member Ben Daugherty, R-Signal Mountain, pointed to the research around the negative effects of cell phone use.
“We live in a society where we’re competing for kids’ attention, and they’re getting bombarded with text messages, social media, TikToks,” he said. “Our phones are vying for our kids’ attention. When they’re in those classrooms, we have a responsibility to teach them, and this in my mind, in my opinion, stands in direct obstacle to that ability to do.”
The board adopted its current policy after hours of discussion in 2023, and several board members who served on the board at the time said they disliked the idea of spending more time on the issue. Five new members have joined the board since then.
Board members did a great job with the policy, school board member Ben Connor, D-Chattanooga, said, and it’s used as an example for other districts by the state school board association.
“We need to make sure that we are doing right by the kids,” he said. “I think we’ve done that here by making sure that they’re not supposed to be touching their phones. They’re supposed to be not seen, not heard, but the parents still have the safety to know that if there’s a lockdown, my child has access to their telephone.”
Contact Shannon Coan at scoan@timesfreepress.com or 423-757-6396.