CHARLOTTE — Several teachers at East Mecklenburg High School thanked Gov. Josh Stein Tuesday for signing into law a bill that bans cellphones from being used during instruction in classrooms. The law went into effect Jan. 1 but some districts, including Charlotte-Mecklenburg Schools, introduced phone-free policies at the beginning of the school year.
Phones are not allowed to be seen or heard except during approved times, such as lunch and time between classes. Exceptions to this rule can be made if a teacher deems the devices necessary for learning or in case of emergencies.
Stein toured East Meck before discussing the cellphone law with teachers.
“Students are so much more focused on the task at hand-learning,” Stein said. “They are more focused on student engagement with each other.”
Teachers told Stein gone are the days where they have to compete for attention with the device in their students’ pockets.
“You had to compete with the phone,” government teacher Deanna Miller said. “Is it the lesson or the phone that they are going to pay attention to?”
One of the big fears for parents is if something bad happens at school, how will they get in touch with their kids? Teachers told Governor Stein that the cell phones are kept in the classroom. So the teachers said they would make sure their students had access to them during a lockdown.
“If something were to go on, [the students] are my No. 1 priority,” Miller said. “I am here to protect the students so I am going to make sure they are able to communicate with their family.”
Teacher pay
All of the teachers are currently working without a pay raise from the state. North Carolina is the only state in the country that didn’t pass a budget last year. Stein said that’s unacceptable and he called on lawmakers to get it done
“Look inflation is real,” Stein said. “People’s cost of living is going up and we are expecting state employees to work this year for the exact same wage as last year when last year it was already too low?”
Republican leadership indicated a budget will not be considered until April.
Social media literacy
In addition to the cellphone restrictions, Stein’s policy introduced a new requirement for schools to teach a class on social media literacy. This class will address the impact of social media on mental health, as well as how to identify cyberbullying and suspicious behavior.
The social media literacy class is set to begin in the 2026-2027 school year and will be taught once in elementary school, once in middle school, and twice in high school.
VIDEO: School districts crack down on cellphone usage in classrooms
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