NORTH LOGAN – The statewide Policy Project will host a service and advocacy night here on Tuesday, Feb. 4.
That event is slated for 7 p.m. that evening at Green Canyon High School in North Logan. It will explain the non-profit group’s Focused Student initiative to engage community stakeholders in public policy discussions, cultural change efforts and hands-on service.
As part of its statewide information tour, the Policy Project is inviting Cache County community members, local leaders, teachers, students, partner organizations and families to participate, according to Emily Bell McCormick, the founder and president of the non-profit group.
“Our goal in the ongoing session of the Utah Legislature is to pass two bills relating to student focus,” McCormick explains.
“One is to limit phone use in Utah classrooms and another is to combat student hunger, both of which will help student focus and thrive in the classroom – and beyond.”
McCormick says that her advocacy group is traveling to six counties across Utah to drum up support for the pending legislation, with Cache County being the fourth stop on their tour.
The Policy Project is garnering support for Senate Bill 178 (Devices in Public Schools), introduced by Sen. Lincoln Fillmore (R-South Jordan), and House Bill 100 (Food Security Amendments), introduced by Rep. Tyler Clancy (R-Salt Lake).
Smartphone use in public school classrooms is now the norm in Utah, McCormick emphasizes. Those devices have become a growing distraction in schools by disrupting classroom environments, decreasing academic performance and contributing to both bullying and social isolation.
Fillmore’s proposed legislation will limit smartphones, digital watches and other emerging technologies, while giving school districts the opportunity to tailor policies to meet parental concerns and create exceptions for students with health issues or special needs.
The Policy Project also says that one in six children in Utah are hungry, impairing academic performance and contributing to mental/physical health problems, reduced social participation, high dropout rates, behavioral problems and long-term economic concerns.
If enacted, S.B. 100 would ensure that students with the greatest need receive no-cost school meals, have access to food during the summer months and would prohibit in-school practices that add to the stigma of food insecurity.
The Policy Project gathering at Green Canyon High School will involve participants in a postcard-writing activity to advocate directly to local lawmakers and provide interactive training for attendees to develop their own advocacy efforts.
Interested participants are advised to RSVP by going online to https://secure.ggiv.com/for/thepolicyproject/event/fsp-cachecounty
The Policy Project is a non-profit, non-partisan organization that promotes policy solutions that remove barriers to opportunity for women, children and those experiencing inter-generational poverty.
Green Canyon High School is located at 2960 Wolf Pack Way (North) in North Logan.