Should kids be allowed to have them in class?

Do you let your kids take their cellphones to class? Does your school district even allow them? 

Digital device policies are all over the map in U.S. schools, with parents and teachers divided on whether to curb or outright ban such phone use on school grounds.

Some schools make the kids place phones in a locker. Others require them to be checked in at the front office. But some are OK having students keep them in a backpack or pocket, so long as they’re turned off. 

At some schools, the decision about whether to let a kid have a phone in class is up to individual teachers, who may be reluctant to assume the role of enforcer.

In fact, some teachers see the phones as an asset and actually incorporate phone use as part of their lessons. 

Yet another question surrounds what kids are allowed to do with phones during lunch or between classes? Can they text, call, play games or use other apps then?

This past July, California passed a law that gives public and charter schools the authority to prohibit cellphone use in the classroom, except during emergencies or other special circumstances, such as when a doctor determines that a student needs a phone for health reasons.

The Forest Hills Public Schools, in Grand Rapids, Michigan, revised its policy recently so that students will not be allowed to carry or use cellphones during the school day. 

A similar edict is in place at Washington High School in Massillon, Ohio.