Governor Gavin Newsom is urging California school districts to limit cell phone use in the classroom. I’ve taken a look at some changes the San Luis Coastal Unified School District is making that will impact students across the district.

“From an educational perspective, it’s really difficult to deal with students who aren’t engaged,” says Daniel Monroe, a teacher and girls’ basketball coach at SLO High School.

Monroe said cell phones can be distracting, and he’s not the only one who thinks that way.

According to the governor’s office, a recent Pew Research Center survey found that 72% of high school teachers and 33% of middle school teachers say cell phone distraction is a major problem.

At the three high schools in San Luis Coastal Unified, cell phones must be put away during class.

“When students walk through the door of any classroom on campus, they put their phone in a designated, numbered cell phone pocket. The rule is that they throw it in when they enter and take it back when they leave,” Monroe said.

According to a survey by Common Sense Media, 97% of students use their phones for about 43 minutes during the school day.

Teacher Lynnly Sainsbury is glad that restrictions are already in place.

“It takes away our role as telephone disciplinary police,” says Lynnly Sainsbury, a teacher at SLO High School.

Lisa Yamashita, deputy superintendent of the district’s school board, said they would establish a working group with parents, teachers and community members to revise the current technology policies for San Luis Coast.

“I think the fact that we’re trying to stay ahead of the curve and focus on the social and emotional health of our teenagers is really important to us, and we’re expressing that by setting up this committee and looking at the issue of mobile phones,” Sainsbury said.

Yamashita said the school district hopes to launch the task force sometime next month.