BAKERSFIELD, Calif. — (KBAK/FOX58) California Governor Gavin Newsom is urging school districts to restrict cellphone use in classrooms, but it’s not clear if there’s much the governor can do to stop that texting.

On Tuesday morning, Newsom’s office released a statement urging school districts to stop cellphone use in the classroom. The statement refers to a law the governor signed five years ago that allows districts to monitor students’ cellphone use in the classroom.

Newsom suggests that districts should regulate use, following successful trials in some school districts in Fresno and Santa Barbara. Newsom claims, “…the districts that have cracked down are reporting better test scores, grades and student engagement, as well as less bullying and damage to school facilities.” However, Kern Literacy Council Executive Director Ian Anderson said local school districts already have enough problems to deal with, so it’s hard to find the time to penalize cell phone use.

“The challenge with this policy is, ‘Will it be implemented?'” Anderson said. “And schools have many (other) obligations. It’s not like this is the only new policy of the school year that they have to implement.”

But that doesn’t mean there aren’t success stories in Kern County. Wasco Union High School District implemented a cardboard box collection policy last school year and reinstated it for this school year. District Superintendent Kevin Tallon described his district’s policy.

“This allows them to collect cell phones and put them in a box,” Tallon said. “(The phones) stay with the teacher until the end of the class.”

Tallon is convinced that student performance in class has improved since the introduction of the telephone booth.

“When you limit distractions and ask students to focus on the lesson and learning for the day, their performance improves,” Tallon said. “We strongly encourage them to put their phones away and really just focus on the content and lessons being taught that day.”

Click here to read Governor Newsom’s statement.