Senate Education Committee hears first testimony on bill to restrict student cell phone use in schools

Juneau — The Senate Education Committee on Wednesday held the first hearing on Senate Bill 18, a proposal that would require the Department of Education and Early Development to develop a model policy prohibiting use of non‑school‑issued wireless telecommunication devices during school hours and obligating districts to adopt a comparable policy.

The bill’s sponsor, Senator Bill Wilkowski, asked the panel to hear invited and public testimony on measures he said would reduce classroom distractions and improve learning. Student testifier Dersu Cedar, a senior at Betty Davis East Anchorage High School, described how phone use reduces engagement and urged committee members to support the model policy.

Cedar said students “are unknowingly diluting the quality of their education by embracing passivity in the classroom through engagement with their phones rather than their teachers,” and cited classroom anecdotes — including “my table partner in AP Lit who misses half the daily lecture because he’s occupied with Clash Royale.” Cedar urged the committee to allow local tailoring while adopting a statewide standard that would remove phones from classrooms.

Witnesses who testified in support included Begich Middle School Principal Matt Widoff, who said district‑level bans adopted in some Anchorage middle schools had improved discipline and eased teachers’ workload. Widoff told the committee that, while phones are “an amazing thing,” in his view they were “definitely an impediment to learning” and that district board language backing bans helped secure staff buy‑in.

Deborah Bridal, division operations manager for the Department of Education and Early Development, told the committee the department’s fiscal review assigned a fiscal note of zero to the bill as drafted. Bridal said the department expects the regulatory work to be completed within existing resources.

Several committee members raised questions about who would be eligible for exemptions. Chair Lukey Gail Tobin and Senator Kiel pressed for clarity on medical exemptions; Cedar and other witnesses said the bill’s text contemplates emergency exemptions and that the house’s related language includes explicit exceptions for medical and translation needs. Cedar described translation use as an application for students in multilingual classrooms; Dora Wilson, an Anchorage School Board member, said the district’s recently adopted policy already provides grade‑level educational exceptions and urged flexibility for local districts.

Public commenters — including a retired Juneau school counselor and a retired school nurse now serving on their local assembly — described long‑standing classroom management issues tied to phones, concerns about cyberbullying and safety, and how unrestricted phone access can complicate emergency responses.

Senator Wilkowski said he would accept amendments to clarify medical or translation exemptions and expressed willingness to broaden local control if the committee preferred. He later said it is his intent to hold Senate Bill 18 until a future meeting after further work with stakeholders.

The committee did not take formal action on the bill at Wednesday’s hearing. Chair Tobin said the bill will return for further consideration after staff and members work on potential amendments.