Gov. Kevin Stitt, education secretary Nellie Tayloe Sanders encourage phone restrictionsBIXBY — For the past three months of school, Carter Storts found herself reaching for her cellphone only to come up empty.Like all students in ninth grade and below at Bixby Public Schools, Carter isn’t allowed to access her cellphone for the entire school day. Carter, a ninth grader, said it was hard at first to adjust, but now she’s grateful for the rule.“It helps my ability to focus and be able to focus on one task,” she said. “Also outside of school, like when I go home and spend time with my parents, I’m not on my phone as much because I don’t feel the need. I can focus on just being present.”Her peers at the Bixby Ninth Grade Center gave similar feedback during a school visit Wednesday from Gov. Kevin Stitt and his education secretary, Nellie Tayloe Sanders.Stitt and Sanders visited students in Bixby and Jenks Public Schools to discuss their cellphone policies. Both districts recently tightened restrictions on mobile devices, as have other schools across the state.Stitt has encouraged more Oklahoma schools to find costneutral ways to limit student cellphone use.“I don’t believe in the topdown approach from the government, and so I just put out an executive order to challenge our schools to say, ‘Hey, should we be cellphone free? Is it going to help with mental health? Is it going to help with distractions? Do we give teachers a better classroom environment?’” Stitt said during a roundtable discussion with Bixby teachers.Sanders similarly expressed concern over whether cellphones generate more cyberbullying, addictive behaviors and mental health struggles for students. She and Stitt spent the school tours asking questions about the impact of a phonefree environment, especially whether students found it more liberating.Bixby ninth grader Allison Freimuth said removing cellphones from her school has been a “good mind detox.” She said it cut down on drama, stress and distractions.Teachers in the district said they enjoy the change, too. Students are more engaged in class and interact with each other during passing periods and lunch, they said.Last year, Bixby students were allowed access to their phones in between class periods, and it was hard to refocus them once they were at their desks, Bixby Middle School teacher Simon MacFarlane said. A full-day ban on cellphones has “made all the difference,” he said.“They’re not even checking their phones,” MacFarlane ...
