Hamilton County Schools pass new cell phone policy for students

CHATTANOOGA (WDEF) – The Hamilton County School Board approved new guidelines for student use of cell phones Thursday night, after one last controversy.

The policy bans students from using phones except as part of class assignments, which must be approved by either the principal or the teacher.

The policy also lets each school set up a place where students can use phones during their lunch.

And that faced some opposition.

Some board members were concerned that different schools would set different phone zone rules.

The issue over phone use by students has been a continuing controversy.

Educators argue that the phones can lead to student distractions and even cheating.

But parents want to be able to be in touch with their kids whenever they need to be (particularly in a crisis at school).