October 4, 2024 |
Photo – Cell phones – Bigfoot99 file photo
Governor Mark Gordon is encouraging school administrators and teachers in Wyoming to address the dangers that cell phones pose to undermining education in the state’s classrooms.
“Rising mental health issues, such as anxiety, depression, eating disorders and even suicide attempts among students, have been linked to the growing social dependance cell phones and social media”, the governor said in a letter to school officials Thursday. “Bullying and harassment are also a side effect of the prevalence of cell phones in schools”, the governor noted.
The letter was signed jointly by the Wyoming Governor and Wyoming Superintendent of Public Instruction Megan Degenfelder. The two state officials note that many schools already have implemented policies to address their concerns. Gordon and Degenfelder note that “both the academic environment and the well-being of our students” is at stake.
They note that rising mental health challenges and declines in academic performance among young people has been linked to excessive and unregulated cell phone access during school hours.
