Senate Education Committee hears wide-ranging testimony on statewide cell‑phone ban in schools

The Oregon Senate Committee on Education held a public hearing May 12 on House Bill 2,251, which would require school districts to adopt policies that prohibit routine student use of personal electronic devices during the regular school day, with limited exceptions for medical needs and individualized education plans.

Proponents said the policy would improve focus, decrease bullying and harassment, and support student mental health. State Representative April Dobson, who also serves on the North Clackamas School Board, told the committee her district instituted a bell‑to‑bell ban last school year and, “Compared to last year, classroom disruptions are down almost a third,” and that “98 percent of the teachers we surveyed said [the ban] has had a positive impact on their classrooms.”

Supporters included parents, pediatricians and mental‑health clinicians. State Senator Lisa Reynolds, a pediatrician, said she sees daily clinical evidence that phones undermine attention and wellbeing and told the committee that “this bill will truly move the needle on youth mental health.” Psychologist Doreen Dodgen McGee and…