The William S. Hart Union High School District governing board is taking up one of the hottest topics in education.  School districts across California and the nation have been looking at ways to limit students’ cell phone use during school hours, citing studies, such as one from July 2023 from the University of Rochester Medical Center, linking excess use to depression, mood disorders and sleep disturbances.  On Wednesday, just two days after Gov. Gavin Newsom signed into law a bill that directs school districts across the state to develop a policy limiting smartphone use by July 1, 2026, the Hart school board is slated to “review current district practices and consider the issue of cell phone usage on Hart district campuses.” No action will be taken at the meeting, the agenda states.  Currently, all junior highs in the district have a policy that states that no cell phones should be visible during school hours. Policies at high schools vary, though Canyon High has a pilot program that has cell phones banned from being used in class.  Multiple board members have asked for a discussion on cell phones to be placed on a future agenda since before the summer break. Board President Linda Storli has said that she’s noticed a different setting during break periods at junior highs than what she has observed at the high schools.  “The kids are all talking to each other,” she told The Signal. “At the high schools, the kids are on their cell phones and they’re not interacting.”  Wednesday’s discussion is expected to include feedback from the Hart district’s Student Communication Council and from parents, according to the presentation included with the agenda.  Assembly Bill 3216, authored by Assembly members Josh Hoover, David Alvarez, Josh Lowenthal, and Al Muratsuchi and known as the Phone-Free School Act, expands on legislation that Newsom signed into law in 2019 that gave school districts the authority to regulate the use of smartphones during school hours. Newsom then wrote a letter to districts in August calling on them to restrict cell phone usage.  “Excessive smartphone use among youth is linked to increased anxiety, depression, and other mental health issues,” Newsom wrote in the letter. “A recent Pew Research Center survey found that 72% of high school and 33% of middle school teachers report cell phone distractions as a major problem. Common Sense Media found that 97% of students use their phones during the school day for a median of 43 minutes. Combined with the U.S. Surgeon General’s warning about the risks of social media, it is urgent to provide reasonable guardrails for smartphone use in schools.”  U.S. Surgeon General Vivek Murthy put out a warning earlier this year comparing tobacco and alcohol to social media. He also called on Congress to require warning labels to be put on social media platforms “to highlight their potential harm to children’s mental health.”  The Los Angeles Unified School District board of education voted earlier this year to ban cell phone use during the school day, starting in January 2025.  Other states have adopted similar legislation to what Newsom recently signed. In 2023, Florida became the first state in the nation to ban cell phones during instructional time at schools statewide, a policy that also blocks student access to social media on district Wi-Fi.  Indiana, Minnesota, Ohio and Virginia have all seen legislation or executive orders directing school districts to establish cell phone policies.  Wednesday’s meeting is set to begin at 7 p.m. at the Hart district’s administrative office, located at 21380 Centre Pointe Parkway. To watch the meeting virtually, go to tinyurl.com/24ma4w33.  The post Cell phone use to be discussed by Hart school board  appeared first on Santa Clarita Valley Signal.