CHERRY HILL, N.J. (KYW Newsradio) — During his State of the State address on Tuesday, New Jersey Gov. Phil Murphy voiced support for policies to ban cell phones at K-12 schools. Officials in the Cherry Hill School District put their own policy into effect in 2023 and said it’s working very well.
High school students in Cherry Hill are given some freedom to use their phones during their free time at school, but never during class. Superintendent Kwame Morton said there have been very few problems with this approach.
“I was very confident that the children would rise to the occasion, and they’ve done just that,” he said.
For him, this balanced approach feels like the sweet spot between a full ban and unlimited usage.
A high school senior in Cherry Hill, Rebekah Bruesehoff, said the ban took some getting used to but most students now understand why it’s important to focus on school.
“It’s helping our productivity,” she said. “At the end of class, I’m not going on my phone just to waste my time. I’m doing my homework that I could be doing before or after school.”
For older students, the superintendent emphasized the importance of treating them more like adults so they can learn to function in the real world.
“We believe that it is important for us to teach our children responsible behavior rather than always just preventing them from being irresponsible,” he said. “As adults, we’re required to be responsible at times and demonstrate discipline.”
Middle and elementary students in Cherry Hill aren’t permitted to use their phones at all. Since the policy took effect parents like Candi Cummings said she’s seen her kids use the phone less at home too.
“They’re seeing that their phone isn’t the lifeline to everything, right, that interaction is better.”
Morton expressed his willingness to have discussions with state education or other officials about what might be the best solutions for different communities.