Norman Phillips Schools hosts Screenagers panel to guide parents on new state cell‑phone policy

Norman Phillips Schools convened an evening workshop for parents to explain a recently adopted state law that requires school districts to adopt cell‑phone policies and to provide practical guidance on children’s screen use.

The session began with the school administrator introducing a Screenagers film and a panel of local mental‑health clinicians led by Brianna Norman of Central Oklahoma Mental Health. Panelists included Christina Schwartz, LCSW, the children's clinical director at the Community Mental Health Center; Alex Porter, LPC, an adult clinical director with prior children’s unit experience; and Katie Hawkins, a psychiatric mental‑health nurse practitioner.

The panel emphasized that multitasking reduces learning and recommended frequent, scheduled breaks for students. “I think that…there's no such thing as…