The governor and secretary of education sent a letter to Arkansas school superintendents Tuesday urging them to participate in a new pilot program focused on increasing students’ access to mental health care and limiting cellphone use in schools.
Based on recommendations from school superintendents who met last month with Gov. Sarah Huckabee Sanders and Education Secretary Jacob Oliva, the program would provide funding for telehealth mental health services as well as help with locating mental health providers and navigating insurance issues, according to the release. press release.
The Arkansas NetChoice case is different from the U.S. Supreme Court case, but both involve First Amendment issues.
The pilot program will provide funding to all secondary schools that apply, providing pouches for students to store their phones during school hours and reducing screen time and social media use. Sanders and Oliva write that increased exposure to social media puts children at higher risk for mental health problems. Their Letter.
“The Natural State is not unique; youth depression, anxiety, and isolation are on the rise across the nation,” they wrote. “Yet we have a unique opportunity to work together to address this crisis. We have made this a priority for my Administration and are committing state resources to solving this crisis.”
Sanders is 2023 Legislation The bill would have been the first in the nation to require minors to get parental permission before signing up for a social media account. Blocked the law It happened in August, just hours before it was scheduled to go into effect.
In May, Sanders also sent a copy of Jonathan Haidt’s book. Anxious GenerationIn a letter addressed to governors of every state and territory in the U.S., as well as Arkansas lawmakers, she expressed support for four main goals: banning smartphones before high school, banning social media until age 16, banning cell phones in schools, and increasing outdoor play and children’s independence, according to a press release.
Proposals to reduce smartphone use are spreading across the U.S., including in California, where Democratic Governor Gavin Newsom introduced a bill last month. I vowed to limit my smartphone use. His remarks came a day after the U.S. Surgeon General urged Congress to Mandatory warning labels on social media platforms and by the Los Angeles Unified School District, the second-largest school district in the United States. Approved the cell phone ban It is due to come into effect in January.
Florida was the first state Ban cell phones Cell phone use was banned in schools last year, and Idaho and Ohio have also passed laws cracking down on cell phone use, with eight other state legislatures considering similar measures, according to Education Week.
