St. Joe-Benton Harbor News

State Representative Brad Paquette has expressed his opposition to Governor Whitmer's proposal to ban cell phone usage in classrooms. The proposal was announced during the Governor's State of the State address last Wednesday.

Rep. Paquette, a Republican from Niles and former public-school teacher, shared his perspective on the matter. He stated, "As a former public-school teacher, I have a wealth of first-hand experience managing a classroom and seeing what does and doesn’t work when it comes to maintaining kids’ attention." He elaborated on how his school developed an effective disciplinary system that balanced limits with reasonable allowances for cell phone use.

Paquette argues that a blanket ban on cell phones does not consider the complexities of the issue. He said, "The classroom has a role in helping children and young adults learn how to use their cell phone correctly both in and out of class." He noted that completely prohibiting cell phones led to more students ending up in detention and negatively affected school culture.

The representative believes that legislating this issue at the state level is misguided. "It seems completely backwards to me to legislate this issue at a statewide level," he remarked, emphasizing that local school districts are better suited to create policies tailored to their unique needs.

Paquette advocates for a localized approach, suggesting it would achieve better results while allowing students access to their phones for emergencies. He concluded by stating that such an approach would maintain parents' peace of mind regarding emergency contact with their children.