from GoodGoodGood – thanks to Pam P.
In Kentucky’s Jefferson County Public School District, cell phone bans have made way for students to read for pleasure.
The district is following a new state law that prohibits cell phone use during class and lunch. School district leaders were tasked with creating their own plans for the new school year on how to manage the policy.
Just a few months into the semester, they’re seeing the effort pay off.
During the times when students would typically be on their phones, they’re visiting the library instead.
At Pleasure Ridge Park High School, students have already checked out over 1,200 books since the start of the school year, nearly half of a typical year’s total.
“I thought it’d be hard to get used to,” Michael, a senior at the school, told Wave 3 News. “I had nothing to do. So I thought, why not come grab a book and see if I’m interested again? After I started reading, I liked it.”
It’s a shift librarians are hoping to encourage.
“I see that this is a movement that we are reclaiming attention, rediscovering joy, and reconnecting with one another,” Dr. Lynn Reynolds, the district’s director of library media services, told WLKY News.
“In this country — and I’m a bit of a nerd — but reading for pleasure has decreased,” she added. (continued on Page 2 or here)