Federal guidelines on cell phone use in schools expected soon [Video]

The U.S. Department of Education will release new guidelines on cell phone use in schools in October, as a growing number of states and localities adopt bans across the country. In an interview Friday, Secretary of Education Miguel Cardona said it’s important to strike a “careful balance” when it comes to these policies. “It’s important that we communicate impacts on student’s over-reliance on cell phones, but also ways that technology, whether it’s cell phones or other devices, can be used to enhance learning,” Cardona said. Cardona said that rather than imposing a federal mandate, these guidelines are intended to help states and localities craft their own policies.”At this point, we don’t feel that there’s a need for a federal mandate,” Cardona said. “That doesn’t mean that down the road, if things change, that we wouldn’t want to have a stronger perspective on this.”Supporters say schools with cell phone bans have …