ATLANTA (AP) — More states are moving to ban or restrict cellphones in school, a trend that continues to win bipartisan support in legislatures.
Senators in Georgia voted 54-2 on Tuesday to give final approval to a bill that would bans students in grades K-8 from using phones or other personal electronic devices during the school day. The measure goes to Republican Gov. Brian Kemp for his signature or veto.
Currently, nine states ban phones in school, but that number will likely soon rise. Similar bills this year have passed by wide margins in New Mexico, Tennessee and Utah and await action by those states’ governors. Measures are also progressing rapidly in other states.
The push for cellphone bans has been driven by concerns about the impact screen time has on children’s mental health and complaints from teachers that cellphones have become a constant distraction in the classroom.
“This bill isn’t just about academics, it’s about students’ well-being,” Republican Georgia state Sen. Jason Anavitarte of Dallas said during debate Tuesday on House Bill 340. “Studies link excessive phone use to mental health issues, decreasing social skills, and an increase in bullying. We want students engaged in school, socializing with friends during lunch and focusing in the classroom.”
Nationally, 77% of U.S. schools say they prohibit cellphones at school for nonacademic use, according to the National Center for Education Statistics. But that number is misleading. It does not mean students are following those bans or all those schools are enforcing them.
Arkansas, California, Florida, Indiana, Louisiana, Minnesota, Ohio, South Carolina and Virginia have enacted measures banning or restricting students’ use of cellphones in schools.
The specifics of the measures vary widely. Georgia’s bill says students can’t access their personal devices at any time during the school day, but enforcement is up to local school districts. Some Georgia districts are already using locking pouches, but schools could also just tell students to leave their phones in their locker, to turn them in to a teacher, or disable them using an online application. Students who need devices to monitor medical conditions or to help overcome intellectual disabilities would still be able to use them.
Some other states would still allow phones or other devices to be used in some situations. For example, the Utah bill lets schools permit classroom use under local policies.
Georgia isn’t providing any extra funding, although supporters suggested districts might be able to use yearly school safety grants if they need to buy pouches or other equipment. New Mexico’s bill sets aside $10 million in aid for local schools to help fund adoption
Objections to the proposal often center around concerns that students and parents won’t be able to contact each other in case of emergency. In September, when a student killed two students and two teachers at Apalachee High School northeast of Atlanta, many students communicated with their parents and with emergency services using their phones.
Sen. Rashaun Kemp, an Atlanta Democrat, said he was voting for the bill. But he pleaded with Republican colleagues to restrict guns to stop school shootings.
“What if that phone could save lives in an active-shooter situation?” Kemp asked “These are true concerns as a parent that all of us will typically think about. What if that phone is the last opportunity for my child to communicate with me?”
But supporters of the bans have noted that students’ phones could pose additional dangers during an emergency by distracting students or by revealing their location during an active-shooter situation.
Republican Sen. Randy Robertson of Cataula said a parent’s job is to “sit down, be responsible and trust the school to follow their emergency action plan. Their calls will go unanswered because their children’s phones will be locked away.”
For others, though, the bill doesn’t go far enough. They want to see the ban extended to high school. Republican Rep. Scott Hilton of Peachtree Corners, the bill’s sponsor, said that was likely in a future session.
“This bill is a step in the right direction, but let it be the beginning and not the end,” said Democratic Sen. Jason Esteves of Atlanta. “Let’s ensure that every student from kindergarten to 12th grade has the opportunity to learn free from unnecessary distractions.”
