Vermont's Health Commissioner says he opposes a bill that would ban the use of cellphones and similar technology in schools.
The legislation says these products are "creating an unsafe, disruptive, and distracted learning environment for students." The bill also says devices are a major factor in the rise of mental health issues for young people.
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Health Commissioner Dr. Mark Levine told members of the Senate Education Committee that a better approach would be to educate students about both the positive and negative impacts of technology. And he says schools could also require students to keep cell phones in their lockers.
"We completely support the idea of minimizing and reducing exposure to social media while in school," Levine said, "but we also feel that this bill may be a bit heavy-handed and unrealistic in that regard."
The committee will continue to study the bill next week, when it hears from a group of educators.
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