Cellphones could be banned for Duval students

Cellphones could soon be banned in Duval County Public Schools under a new policy that School Board member April Carney looks to propose this week.

The ban would be modeled after one in Orange County, where cellphones must be put on silent and put away during the school day, Carney told Jacksonville Today. She plans to bring it up during a committee meeting Wednesday morning.

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“As a parent, as a School Board member, I am going to be putting forward policy here in Duval County that we are no longer going to allow cellphones during the day,” Carney, a charter schol parent, said during a news conference Monday where Gov. Ron DeSantis signed a bill into law that limits childrens’ access to social media.

The Duval County Public School Board will meet Wednesday for a Policy Handbook Review Committee meeting at 9 a.m. That’s when Carney plans to propose the cellphone ban.

“We’re all about making sure our students are getting the best possible education, and that means being free of distractions,” she said. “We as a board are committed to making sure our kids are engaged in the classroom.”