With the passage of Ohio House Bill 250, lawmakers sent a strong message about the importance of protecting students from the harm done by constant access to cellphones during the school day. Now, as each Ohio school district is required to develop a policy of its own, the state has unveiled its model policy for minimizing cellphone use in schools.

“By removing the distraction of cellphones from classrooms, our school children will be free to flourish and will see improved academic engagement and social interaction,” Gov. Mike DeWine stated in a news release Wednesday. “Schools that implement this model policy will quickly see positive results by giving children a break from the nonstop notifications that have proven to be harmful to student performance and mental health.”

Though school districts have until July 2025 to adopt their policies, there is no need to wait that long. With a model policy available, and with each school district having been given ample time to plan for adjustments to that policy to suit their own needs, the change can be put in place for the upcoming school year. Boards of education need only decide to move quickly on the matter.

“The need for action when it comes to cellphone restrictions during the school day was made clear after months of meetings with Ohio district and school leaders. We listened to their experiences and feedback and used these insights to inform the model policy and additional resources that we are proud to make available,” Department of Education and Workforce Director Stephen Dackin stated in the news release. “I encourage school leaders to use these tools to engage their communities and adopt policies that enhance students’ ability to have a rich and rewarding learning experience while at school.”

Some schools in the Mahoning Valley already have policies in place for cellphone use during school hours. For example, Austintown Local School District Superintendent Tim Kelty said middle school students must keep cellphones in their lockers while high school students are allowed to have them but cannot use them during class.

In the Poland school district, Superintendent Craig Hockenberry said cellphones can’t be seen or used at all during class time; however, students are allowed to use their cellphones during lunch and after school. He added if students are caught using their phones during class they receive a full day of in-school suspension and students with more than three violations receive out-of-school suspension.

While some districts already had a plan in place, others were waiting for the model policy to be released to create one of their own. Now is the time to do so, post haste. We’ve waited too long already, and there is no excuse for letting the damage continue another year. Boards and administrators must not delay in implementing their own policies.