By James Corrigan
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LEWISTON, Maine (WMTW) – The Lewiston School Board voted unanimously on Monday to ban cellphones in school for students through 8th grade and to limit phones outside of classrooms for high school students .
Phones for K-8 students will be required to be stored during the school day, with the exception of students where it is determined to be “essential for the student’s health, safety, or educational purposes.” “.
Discipline will vary from warnings to forfeiture to parent conferences to suspensions or expulsions for more serious infractions.
Superintendent Jake Langlais says eliminating cell phones from the learning environment removes a stressor for students, such as in scenarios where they are waiting for a text message.
“They’re going through a lot of anxiety that maybe they wouldn’t have to go through otherwise because they’re expecting this quick return, and whether you get it or not, it creates this new feeling of angst.” , said Langlais. “And when you try to focus on things like math, it can get very difficult.”
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