Teachers union leader wants more details on proposed school phone ban

A teachers union leader said he wants to see more details on Gov. Phil Murphy’s proposed school cell phone ban before endorsing it.

Murphy announced his intentions to create phone-free schools during his penultimate State of the State address on Tuesday afternoon. New Jersey Education Association President Sean Spiller said cell phones disrupt education and at times harm children in K-12 schools, but the union leader wants a clearer understanding of what the guidance could be before moving forward.

“This is an example where we need to see a little bit more from the state here as to what that broader leadership looks like, what that guidance is that they’re going to provide to districts,” Spiller said after Murphy’s speech.

Spiller, an ex-mayor of Montclair, is running for governor this year.

“We do want flexibility, of course, but I think there’s going to have to be a little bit more to this than just saying, ‘We’ve got to do something about cell phones,’” he said.

Murphy extolled a bill that would allow the state Department of Education to develop a cell phone policy for New Jersey schools. The Senate’s version of the bill, sponsored by state Sens. Paul Moriarty (D-Washington Twp) and Kristin Corrado (R-Totowa), passed in a 36-0 vote Tuesday afternoon. Murphy’s school phone ban was one of the few proposals to garner bipartisan applause.

“As an educator, we know cell phones are a distraction,” Spiller said after the speech. “If students have them out, certainly they’re not only focusing on that space instead of paying attention, but also at times using it to bully, and that’s a challenge.”

The bill would require a policy that, at a minimum, bars the use of cell phones during instructional time but also allows students to use their phones in case of emergency. The bill says options for schools include locked pouches and cell phone lockers. 

New York Gov. Kathy Hochul (D) announced a similar push Monday. Several states, including Virginia, South Carolina, and Florida, have banned or restricted cell phone use in schools.

“Honestly, is it any surprise that the rise in smartphone usage has coincided with a growing youth mental health crisis?” Murphy said during his address. “Of course not. And I, for one, am not going to sit back as our kids suffer.”

Spiller said the state of New Jersey is strong, but that there is more work for leaders to do, especially on improving affordability in the state.

Spiller also emphasized that teachers should be included in the governor’s plan to provide 12 weeks of paid parental leave for state workers with newborn children.

“After all, we are the ones that are with folks’ children every day,” he said.