South Carolina is one step closer to banning cell phones in public schools after the state Board of Education gave initial approval Aug. 13 to a “model policy” that would apply to K-12 schools throughout the state.
The board’s action was in response to a 2024 state budget amendment requiring schools to prohibit the use of “personal electronic communication devices by students” during the class day.
Under the model policy as drafted:
- All internet-connected electronic devices – cell phones, smart watches, tablets, gaming devices and more – must be secured in a locker, backpack or other school-designated location from first to last bell. Schools can also ban the devices from campus.
- Students with certain medical conditions and those who serve as first responders are exempt.
- Students who violate the policy will be subject to “progressive consequences … and disciplinary enforcement procedures.”
In an accompanying background document, the S.C. Department of Education (SCDE) offered three rationales for the policy:
- Social science studies linking smart-phone use with poor academic performance and teen mental-health issues;
- A survey of 9,000 S.C. teachers showing strong support for a statewide ban; and
- Recent moves by other states to prohibit the technology.
SCDE spokesman Jason Raven told Statehouse Report the department is “thankful” the ban is moving forward.
“Research and feedback show that the widespread use of smartphones in schools has created serious academic, mental health, and safety challenges,” Raven said in a Thursday statement. “All South Carolina students deserve to flourish in a learning environment free of constant digital distractions.”
Board members are expected to give final approval to the policy in September, with local district implementation required by January 2025.
$38 million in unclaimed funds returned
The state of South Carolina has returned more than $38 million in unclaimed property to residents over the past year, according to a Friday news release from state Treasurer Curtis Loftis.
“I continue to be humbled by the calls and letters of gratitude I receive from people who have found money they didn’t know belonged to them,” Loftis said. “That’s why I am so passionate about encouraging people to check their names on our website to claim what rightfully belongs to them.”
The Treasurer’s Office says it has returned $365 million since 2011, with almost $1 billion still waiting to be claimed. The money comes into the treasurer’s custody when businesses are unable to find the rightful owners of property in their possession.
“I really needed some new tires for the car but didn’t have the cash to afford them,” one Anderson County resident told the Treasurer’s Office after receiving the funds. “I put it in God’s hands, and he answered my prayers.”
In other recent news
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Authorities execute search warrant on state rep’s home. Federal agents on Monday executed a search warrant at the house belonging to State Rep. R.J. May III in Lexington County. Authorities would neither confirm nor deny they were investigating him. No charges have been filed.
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State Supreme Court to hear Murdaugh’s jury tampering appeal. The S.C. Supreme Court says it will hear an appeal of two murder convictions of former lawyer Alex Murdaugh related to whether the jury was “tainted” by Colleton County’s clerk of court during the original trial.
Ban on paying workers less than minimum wage now in effect in S.C. Until only recently, some workers in South Carolina were being paid as little as five cents per hour — and it was legal.
We Can Do Better, South Carolina!