BAKERSFIELD, Calif. (KERO) — In a world glued to screens, phones are part of every student's life — and Bakersfield City School District could roll out a game-changing cell phone policy.
The Bakersfield City School District is considering joining a growing national trend — creating a new policy to limit student cell phone use on campus.
BCSD Board Presentation says, "We have to create a policy because of Assembly Bill 3216, which requires us to involve significant stakeholder participation and development of a policy to limit students' smartphone use."
AB 3216 requires all school districts to create a cell phone policy by July 1, 2026. The goal is to set guidelines that support learning and student well-being. The policy can limit phone use during school hours, with exceptions for emergencies, teacher permission, or health and educational needs. Districts must also involve students, parents, staff, and the community in developing the rules.
During Tuesday night's school board meeting, officials discussed a survey about why students use phones. Nearly 7,000 fourth through eighth graders, more than 2,000 parents, and over 1,000 staff members took part.
Most students say they use phones only occasionally to contact family and don't believe phones impact learning. But teachers and staff say phones often have a negative impact on student behavior. Parents say safety is the top reason their children should have a phone.
Dr. Chris Cruz Boone is a BCSD Board Member, representing Area 3. "We've had a couple of security issues that ended up not being huge issues, but it was really helpful for the kids to be able to take their phones out of their backpacks, text their parents, and say here's what's going on. I think losing that is going to cause problems for us until we find a new system."
Nearly all students, parents, and teachers agree that cellphones and social media can contribute to bullying.
The revised policy on cell phones is set to be implemented next school year.
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