School Violence and Misplaced Faith in Cellphones

School massacres are rare, but school violence can also be traced back to school fights that students record on their cellphones and post on social media.

Schools began moving toward bans roughly a decade ago , and there’s been legislative momentum behind the drive to wrest back control of classrooms from distracted students.

Massachusetts launched a $1.3 million pilot that provided one-year grants to school districts for the 2023-2024 school year .

"dumb" phones that allow a person to make calls and send and receive texts, minus sophisticated software features or internet access, are a poor antidote to safety concerns that worry students, parents, and staff.

Deciding whether a smart or a dumb phone is a better defense against a school shooter spotlights the perversity of contemporary America ’s comfort with violence.