Aiken County schools’ cellphone restrictions bring mixed emotions

AIKEN, S.C. (WRDW/WAGT) - Aiken County Public Schools will soon have a new cellphone policy.

It was approved Tuesday night. at a meeting where the school board also scheduled

It includes sweeping changes for thousands of elementary, middle and high schoolers.

The new policy is a topic that parents in Aiken County have mixed opinions on, but the approval was inevitable.

That’s because the state is requiring all school districts to restrict the devices.

Billy Formisano’s son attends Aiken Scholars Academy. He says his son has always held an A average in school.

“My son had an issue using his cellphone during school hours. It had gotten to be such a problem with it that his grades dropped,” said Formisano.

He says education is the top priority for him and his son.

AT A GLANCE

Cellphone restrictions: Highlights of new policy

1. Middle and high school students with personal devices at school must keep them turned off and placed out of sight.
2. Personal devices will not be allowed to be powered on and used at any time during the school day, which also includes lunch and other non-instructional times.
3. Wearable technology that connects to a cellphone or other devices will not be able to be worn during the school day.

But the phone had become too much of a distraction.

“He was busy hiding his phone like all great teenagers do, under the desk, and he was texting. Checking out Instagram, checking out all his pages, texting his girlfriend during school hours when he was supposed to be learning,” he said.

Formisano says he implemented his own cellphone policy far before the state-mandated one.

“For the rest of the school year, it was about midyear in school. He had to drop his phone off at the front desk when he walked into school. Then he had to pick it up on his way out of school,” said Formisano.

He says after his son did this, he saw a major improvement in his grades.

“Once we took his cellphone away, his grades are all high A’s now,” he said.

The school board says at the end of the day, it’s not up to local officials to decide.

“This is not something that we sat around and dreamed up. It’s a policy that is required by the state of South Carolina,” said John Bradley, vice chairman of the Aiken County Board of Education.

But Formisano says it’s a no-brainer for his family.

“Personally feel that I’d be a bad parent by allowing him to continue to play on his phone and not listen to the teacher that’s trying to teach him for the future,” said Formisano.

Bradley says he understands some parents are worried about safety, but school s will be able to parents if it’s a necessity.

The new policy kicks in when students return to the classroom after winter break – which will be a day shorter than originally planned, with Jan. 6 as an e-learning day.

To view the local policy, visit the Aiken County Public Schools website.

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