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Local educator says decreased anxiety would be benefit of ban on cell phone use in classrooms 

Olivia Chewning

Legislation waiting for Governor Gretchen Whitmer’s signature would ban cell phone use during instructional times in K-12 classrooms.

The legislation would include provisions for the use of phones during lunch and recess, or in class under certain circumstances that include medical emergencies or special ed classes.

Ypsilanti Community Schools Assistant Superintendent Dr. Carlos Lopez says cell phone use in kids is causing increased anxiety. He says modeling trust and respect is key to changing behavior.

“The way we teach, trust has to be embedded that, ‘Hey, my goal is for you to self-lead without me reminding you.’ So, I'm modeling that for you. But eventually, you're going to have to be a driver of your car, not a passenger.”

Lopez says their goal is to help kids learn to self-regulate and ultimately make decisions that improve their mental health and sleep quality.

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An award winning journalist, Caroline's career has spanned both commercial and public media in addition to writing for several newspapers and working as a television producer. As a broadcaster she has covered breaking stories for NPR and most recently worked as Assistant News Director for West Virginia Public Broadcasting. This year she returned to Michigan to be closer to family.
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