MANCHESTER, CT (WFSB) – Governor Ned Lamont is advocating for the removal of cell phones from classrooms to reduce distractions and improve student engagement.

Governor Lamont believes that restricting cell phone use will help students make more personal connections and concentrate better in class.

“Now kids are building a personal connection that wasn’t possible when they spent a lot of time staring at their phones,” he said.

In response to the governor’s initiative, Manchester High School has implemented a policy requiring students to put their phones away during the school day.

However, some parents expressed concerns about this rule.

Aishia McCall, a local mother, expressed her concern, explaining: “When they impose a curfew, it’s for a variety of reasons. Once they’re locked down and you want to call the school to reach your child, they’re not going to go into a locked room and look for them for you. So it’s a lot easier.”

Despite these concerns, Governor Lamont points to positive results in schools that have already implemented similar measures. Schools in Manchester, Torrington, Brookfield and Hartford are using phone blocking systems like the YONDR Pouch to prevent distractions.

New Britain is testing an alternative approach by regulating Wi-Fi access in schools.

“When you enter the school, you cannot access any website or anything else that is not allowed,” McCall said.

Lamont’s goal is to remove smartphones from classrooms nationwide by the fall.

Patrice McCarthy, president of the Connecticut Association of Boards of Education, believes decisions about technology use should be made at the local level.

“Many technologies can be distracting. But they can also support instruction. These are things school boards need to consider when designing their policies,” McCarthy said.

She advocates teaching students how to use technology responsibly rather than depriving them of it entirely.

The cost of phone management systems like YONDR currently falls on counties, but Lamont has indicated that state funding for these tools may be discussed in the future.

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