The San Diego County Board of Supervisors today backed Supervisor Terra Lawson-Remer’s policy for the County to step-up its support of schools districts by making its mental health experts and other resources available to the County Office of Education as policies are developed to limit cell phone access in the classroom. 

“Today we took an important first step in helping to protect the mental health of students in schools across our county,” said Supervisor Lawson-Remer, Vice Chair of the San Diego County Board of Supervisors. “Access to local solutions to make healthcare, especially mental healthcare, accessible and affordable to children and families in our County is one of my top priorities, and this policy is one of the ways we are trying to provide it.”   

The policy means the County of San Diego will:

• Collaborate with the San Diego County Office of Education (SDCOE) to explore ways the County can support schools and school districts in their efforts to develop and implement solutions to address the unrestricted use of smartphones during school instruction hours. 
  

• Explore opportunities to leverage existing work within the County of San Diego’s Health and Human Services Agency to support local school district School Wellness Policies with best practices to address youth mental health and smartphone usage.
  

• Leverage the Office of Evaluation, Performance, and Analytics (OEPA) to provide technical support, as needed, to the SDCOE in any efforts to evaluate the identified solutions and their impact on  student behavior (i.e. discipline, bullying/harassment), social connectedness, mental health outcomes, and academic performance.

To read the entire policy, click here.

A recent study by Common Sense Media found that 97% of teenagers use cell phones during the school day.  In 2023, a study revealed that students received an average of 237 notifications per day, many occurring during school hours.  And, one third of K-12 public school teachers recently reported that smartphones are a major problem for students in their classrooms.   The rise in smartphone use has coincided with skyrocketing rates of depression, anxiety, and cyberbullying among teens and preteens.  Unrestricted smartphone use has also been reported by teachers as a growing distraction undermining learning in the classroom.

Grants to Schools for Mobile Phone Pouches 

Additionally, earlier this week, Supervisor Lawson-Remer announced she partnered with the non-profit Campana Studios who works with schools in her District. They have received a $100,000 County of San Diego grant to support some District 3 middle and high schools that are interested in piloting a program that restricts student cell phone usage during the school day.

The Supervisor’s Office will contact the 35 middle and high schools in District 3 to ensure they are aware of the available funds and provide a sign-up link to help make the connection to the non-profit. Specifics on if schools choose to use lockable mobile phone pouches, cell phone lockers or mobile phone pocket holders will be determined by the school and non-profit. Participation will be on a first come, first serve basis. 

The schools in her district that are eligible for the funds include: