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Lawmakers hear competing views on requiring school districts to adopt cell‑phone‑free policies
Summary
Representative Melissa Litchfield sponsored HB 781 to require school districts to adopt cell‑phone policies and included a $250,000 grant pilot; district groups supported the goals but asked for local flexibility and technical guidance.
Representative Melissa Litchfield opened the hearing on HB 781 by urging the committee to address classroom distraction and student wellbeing. She cited research findings — including Pew Research and other summaries — about the effect of phone interruptions on focus and claimed support for classroom bans during class time: “68% of US adults say that they support a ban on middle and high school students using cell phones during class,” she said.
Litchfield described a $250,000 appropriation in her draft to underwrite pilot programs and pouches that lock…
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