Lea Suzuki/San Francisco Chronicle via AP
It’s the best idea that the city Department of Education has probably ever had — banning phones in schools — and the bureaucrats didn’t even have the courage to stick by it.
Chancellor David Banks reversed course Wednesday, saying “now is not the time to do it,” and that any ban needs to be studied first.
Which means years of feet-dragging while classrooms suffer.
The stated reason was a lockdown on the Upper West Side last month at the Louis D. Brandeis High School: The gun scare that sparked it turned out to be unfounded, but some parents were furious they couldn’t reach their children right away.
Which wouldn’t have changed a thing. It’s part of the job of schools to keep kids safe, and teachers and administrators at Brandeis reacted correctly by making them shelter in place.
Having 1,000 ringing cellphones would not have made a difference, and even could have exposed students to greater danger.
And whatever benefit there is from having instantaneous access is far outweighed by the negatives.
Phones cause and fuel disciplinary problems. Study after study has shown they harm the mental health of young people and increase bullying.
Most important, they distract from education. Kids are scrolling through TikTok, checking their text messages, playing mobile games when they should be learning.
Teachers overwhelming favor keeping them out of the classroom.
The best schools in the country already ban phones. Refusing to do so in struggling schools will only make a bad situation worse.
Don’t kowtow to a small number of parents, Chancellor Banks. Stand up for the vast majority of us who want our children off their phones and paying attention.