The William S. Hart Union High School District governing board discussed a possible policy to limit cell phone use across the district’s campuses on Wednesday night, just a couple of days after Gov. Gavin Newsom signed Assembly Bill 3216, which requires school districts to develop a policy to restrict cell phone usage on campus by July 1, 2026.  Interim Superintendent Michael Vierra spoke about the concerns over the excessive use of cell phones. He said that recent studies are showing that excessive cell phone usage is being linked to mental health concerns, physical health concerns, inadequate relationships between students, and low academic performance.   The junior high schools in the Hart district currently have a policy that does not allow students to have their cell phones out on campus except for some students who need to use their phones for medical issues.   The high schools in the district do not have a current policy enforced at all of them. Canyon High School has been piloting a policy under which no cell phones are to be visible in the classroom.   Vierra said the board has been discussing a policy with the principals of the schools. The principals wanted the board to note that the older students in the high schools have more responsibilities they may need their cell phones for. Many of the older students have jobs, need to communicate with family members in other schools or they are involved in extracurricular activities they need to be updated on.   Board President Linda Storli said she recently walked through the junior high schools to observe how the no-cell-phone-visible policy was doing.   “I walked the junior high schools it’s amazing to see the difference when the kids don’t have their cell phones in their hands at brunch and lunch,” said Storli. “They interact with each other; they talk to each other … and it’s different than when you go to the high schools.”   Storli added she understood that one of the concerns from parents was that their children would not have access to a cell phone if there was an emergency on campus.   “We’re not talking about taking it away from them, because it will still be in their backpack. They can still use it when they need to,” said Storli.  She would like to see the board adopt a “no cell phones out at all during school times,” because the communication and interaction between students is better without them, Storli said.   Dr. Aakash Ahuja, a psychiatrist who is also a candidate for a Hart district school board seat in the Nov. 5 election, said he has been speaking on the harms of excessive cell phone usage and agrees that there should be a policy put in place to limit the usage on campus.   “Restricting cell phones in high school should lead to better academic results, reduce bullying and promote healthier social interaction among students,” said Ahuja. “It is the responsibility of the board to communicate with the parents, teachers and students in an open and transparent manner about this, but I genuinely hope that this is a good policy.”  Karen Frost, a parent, said she has an eighth grader who has not been allowed to use his phone his whole academic career and she is confident it would be an easy transition for him to start high school with a no-cell-phone policy.   Frost added that she understood the concerns of parents about their children not having access to their phones in case of an emergency.   “If there is an emergency happening, I don’t want my child looking at a phone and trying to dial me. I want him to be listening to the directions of the emergency personnel and the staff to direct him to safety,” said Frost.  She added that having access to phones during an emergency can help spread rumors and make kids more worried about threats that are not verified.   Local resident Diane Zimmerman said that parents, staff members and the board have to set an example when it comes to being on the phones. If adults put their phones away, then the students will follow the example, she said.  Resident Rebecca Hindman said that the board should focus on policing cell phones only in the classroom and not during brunch, lunch or open periods.   “These are very good tools. We cannot be policing them during lunch and brunch,” said Hindman. “If our kids are going to be productive in their education, they will need to have access to their phones.”   Hindman said the board should understand that current students are handling a huge workload, and their phones help them manage their day-to-day schedule.   Board members said the next steps they are going to take are speaking to stakeholders for their input and sending out messages to parents. Student board member Maya Yiadom said the students she has spoken to agree that they do have an issue about spending a lot of time on their phones. She suggested the board get all students’ input and not just the student leaders on campus   Debbie Dunn, communications coordinator for the district, is working on a PSA competition in partnership with the L.A. County Sheriff’s Department and schools’ video production classes to create videos about the harmful effects of the overuse of social media and smartphones.   The post Hart district school board discusses limited cell phone usage policy  appeared first on Santa Clarita Valley Signal.