Money is part of $20 million in grants DOE distributing to school districts
By Skylar Laird
SCDailyGazette.com
WEST COLUMBIA — Public schools districts will receive nearly $2 million in state tax dollars to keep students’ cellphones locked up during the day, according to Department of Education data.
The funding came from $20 million in the state budget for school safety projects. On Tuesday, Nov. 5, the Board of Education approved how it will be distributed. Altogether, 67 school districts — including two charter districts and the Department of Juvenile Justice’s district — received some portion of the grant money.
This was the second year the Legislature gave $20 million to the Department of Education with the directive of giving it to schools to improve safety. It was the first time, however, that money came in conjunction with a new rule barring students from using their cellphones during the day.
By January, every school district must adopt a policy prohibiting students from using cellphones that is at least as strict as the one the state Board of Education passed in September. If districts don’t comply, they risk losing state funding.
The state board, which the Legislature directed to come up with a policy, left most of the details on implementation and enforcement up to local school districts.
That means implementation will look different across the state. Students might have to keep their phones in their backpacks or lockers, or even leave them at home, depending on a district’s policy.
Five school districts are using state money for pouches to lock up students’ phones. Another 14 said they are using it to buy other storage, such as designated lockers or cubbies where students can keep their devices during the school day, according to department data.
The Department of Education, which fields requests from districts for the money, considered the new cellphone rule a safety issue because students can easily bully each other online, and because phones might distract students from listening to teachers and administrators in the case of an emergency, state Superintendent Ellen Weaver said Thursday.
“We know that when there is a situation happening in a school, the most important thing is that that student be fully focused on the adult who is getting them to safety,” Weaver told reporters. “Not distracted by a screen and not videotaping, but getting them to safety is the number one priority, and then they can look at their phone.”
About $5.9 million more of the grant money will go toward installing locks on classroom and building doors in 21 districts. That’s the highest amount the state awarded for a single purpose, according to department data.
Across the state, 39% of teachers reported that their classroom doors didn’t lock from the inside, according to a September survey of Palmetto State Teachers Association members. That number was down from last year, when 41% of teachers said the same thing. Funding from school safety grants likely helped with that drop, said the association’s lobbyist Patrick Kelly.
The state Department of Education plans to ask for another $20 million to continue helping schools buy safety equipment this coming budget year, Weaver said.
Top five uses for school safety grants
- Door locks: $5.9 million
- Increased security at school access points: $5.1 million
- Cell phone storage: $2 million
- Window films and covers: $1.7 million
- Weapon detection systems: $805,000
Source: S.C. Department of Education data
Skylar Laird covers the South Carolina Legislature and criminal justice issues. Originally from Missouri, she previously worked for The Post and Courier’s Columbia bureau. S.C. Daily Gazette is part of States Newsroom, the nation’s largest state-focused nonprofit news organization.
