California parents react to LAUSD banning cellphones and other devices
VAN NUYS, Calif. (NBC, KYMA/KECY) - A cellphone ban went into effect Tuesday for students in the second largest school district in the country.
The Los Angeles Unified School District (LAUSD) has been working for months to get schools, teachers and families ready for the change, but parents have mixed feelings.
"With them having their phones taken away, it's taking that life line away from them to be able to contact us at home. I don't agree with it at all," said Quadry Simmons, an LAUSD parent.
Although Tuesday's the deadline for LASUD schools to implement their cellphone ban policy, some campuses, like Van Nuys Middle School, have already had rules in place since the start of the academic year.
"I know...I'm going to see a lot of people complaining, but it's really not a big deal to me," said Nahomi Osorio, an eighth grade student.
Eighth grader Angel Lopez presented the magnetic pouch he and his friends were given that they have to put their phone inside when they make their way through the front gates in the morning.
"This part is what, like, what's it called, it has the needle, and this part is, like, what locks it, so that when you close it, it locks. And at the end of the day, they have, like, this, like, type of magnet where you put on, like, the tip right here, and then it, like, like, what's it called, it takes out the needle, then it opens it."
Angel Lopez, eighth grade student
Although the district says there will be exceptions made, and all students will be able to get their phones during emergencies, some middle schoolers say they still feel nervous.
"I feel against the pouches, like the incident of the fires in LA, we had to call our parents, and they told us not to put our phones in the pouches. See, if the fire started here, if it was closer, and we had to call our parents, there's only one thing to unlock your phones that's all the way in the back of the school."
Ruben Noel Huerta, seventh grade student
Superintendent Alberto Carvalho says there will be exceptions for some, like those who are learning English, or need their phone for medical reasons. He hopes everyone understands the bigger goal of the policy.
"The educational environment will improve. Less cyberbullying. Increased levels of social happiness and joy.
Students being able to look each other in the eye of their colleague and socially interacting with their peers. I know this is a new policy. Not everyone agrees with it. But the evidence in terms of negative impact in the lives of children is well-documented."
Alberto Carvalho, Superintendent of Los Angeles Unified School District
The ban includes all smart devices, including watches, earbuds and glasses.
Some schools in the district have had the ban in place for years. The superinendent says at those campuses, they've already seen less cyberbullying and social media issues.
