Starting in the 2025–2026 school year, Tennessee law banned cell phones, smartwatches, and other personal devices during instructional time. We agree that during class, students should be focused on learning; however, Dickson County Schools are going even further — banning devices for the entire school day, including lunch, breaks, and other non-classroom times. This goes beyond what the state requires and will: Prevent students from contacting family during lunch or emergencies, make it harder to coordinate rides, after-school jobs, and activities, take away tools for independent study and organization during free time, and remove opportunities for students to practice healthy tech boundaries.
We believe the policy should match the state’s intent — no devices during class time, but reasonable with allowance of use before school, at lunch, and during class changes.