This gives us a year getting people used to the idea, and then if it’s state law, it’s state law.”

Emily Copeland, chair of the Portsmouth School Committee

PORTSMOUTH — Portsmouth High School students will be allowed to use their cell phones during passing time or lunch under a new policy unanimously approved by the School Committee last week.

The policy decision, however, could end up conflicting with a new law on students’ use of cell phones and other electronic devices that’s being proposed in the General Assembly.

The R.I. Senate on May 13 approved legislation to require every school in Rhode Island to institute a policy prohibiting all students from having access to personal electronics during the school day. The bill is now being considered by the R.I. House of Representatives. 

Currently, 15 states have passed laws or enacted policies that ban or restrict cell phone use in the classroom and some of the largest school districts in the country have implemented similar policies. Some educators and lawmakers say cell phones cause distractions in school that diminish students’ ability to focus. Others, however, say students should always have access to their phones in emergency situations. (The vast majority of classrooms at PHS have holders for phones, but they can be accessed in the event of an emergency.)

The school board debated the issue back in March when it voted 5-2 against supporting a resolution urging passage of the bill. The majority of school board members said they favored a local policy that isn’t as restrictive, with high school students being allowed to access their cell phones outside the classroom. 

Here are the restrictions under the district’s new policy:

• Elementary and middle school: Cell phones, earbuds, smartwatches, and other wearable technology may not be used at any time during school hours unless under accommodations provided to a student in a 504 plan, individualized education program (IEP), or multilingual learner services.

• High school: Cell phones and wearable technology may not be used during instruction except under accommodations provided to a student in a 504 plan, IEPs or multilingual learner services. Cell phones may be allowed, however, during passing time or lunch. Wireless earbuds are not allowed.

In addition, the use of social media and/or “inappropriate applications” is strictly prohibited during school hours. Students are prohibited from using any electronic device, as defined by the policy, in any school or district restroom or locker room.

Committee member Emily Skeehan, who was one of the two members supporting the General Assembly bill back in March, noted that no one has testified in opposition to the measure in either the House or Senate. If it becomes law, the school board will have to revisit its policy, she said.

“I read it that it takes effect a year from now, so I don’t think it would take effect for fall,” said Committee Chair Emily Copeland, who agreed the bill will probably pass. “This gives us a year getting people used to the idea, and then if it’s state law, it’s state law. But we’ll have to wait and see what happens.”

Committee member Isabelle Kelly said she supports the district policy, but would like to revisit it next year — whether state legislation is passed or not — to consider something a bit more restrictive.

District transportation

In other action last week, the committee voted unanimously to approve a resolution in support of two General Assembly bills that would amend the composition of school bus districts within the state to provide transportation to students in kindergarten through grade 12. 

The language in the bills, which are sponsored by two Portsmouth legislators — Rep. Denise Cortvriend and Sen. Linda Ujifusa — came out of a special legislative study commission that was also led by those lawmakers.

“The big thing here is it seeks to reduce the size of districts so there would be shorter routes. It still provides transportation to all local student to their CTE (career and technical education) destinations within the region. It still provides transportation to private schools within the region,” said Copeland.

“For Portsmouth families, pretty much nothing would change if this bill gets passed, except they would be using some of the savings from this shortening of districts to create a fund that would help offset the cost of long-distance, high-cost statewide transportation of homeless students, students in foster care, and those in high-cost special ed programs,” she continued. “That could really help Portsmouth, because we don’t have any of those programs right here in our region, so of course we’re having to send them across the bridge to other places for a lot of that. Like high-cost special ed, it probably wouldn’t pay for all of it, but there may be some funds that would come back to Portsmouth.”

Despite her support for the legislation, Copeland said it probably won’t pass this year because the chair of the Senate Education Committee “nixed” the hearing on the bill due to objections from parents. 

“This may be a two-year process,” she said.

Next meeting

The School Committee will next meet at 7 p.m. on Tuesday, May 27, in the Portsmouth High School library.