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House education committee introduces bill asking districts to adopt classroom cellphone bans
Summary
The Idaho House Committee on Education voted to introduce RS32063, a representative-sponsored request sheet asking school districts to adopt local cellphone policies that, at minimum, ban wireless device use during academic instruction. The measure preserves local control and sets an August 1 deadline for districts to adopt policies.
The Idaho House Committee on Education on Feb. 13 voted to introduce RS32063, a request sheet from Rep. Jaren Crane that would ask school districts to adopt written cellphone and wireless-device policies that, at minimum, prohibit the use of wireless electronic communication devices in classrooms during periods of academic instruction.
Crane, R-Nampa, told the committee the one-paragraph proposal mirrors a South Carolina policy and would require school boards to approve any adopted policy and include it in district conduct manuals. The bill text sets an implementation target of “no later than August 1” of this year and asks districts that choose to confiscate devices to provide procedures for returning them.
Supporters in the committee described the proposal as “clean” and deliberately limited to preserve local control. Rep. Harris said the measure’s brevity was a strength; Crane responded that parental and medical exceptions — for example, on-call students or those with medical needs — should remain matters for local boards. “I wanted that to be on local control,” Crane said.
Several lawmakers raised concerns about the bill’s device definition and potential unintended consequences. Rep. Nelson warned that the statutory language that “prohibits the use of wireless electronic communication devices” could be read overly broadly by local counsel and might inadvertently bar school-owned tablets or district-provided devices. Rep. Clow and Rep. Hawkins pointed committee members to the bill’s definition section, which lists telephones and similar devices and is intended, proponents said, to narrow the scope to cellular phones.
The committee voted to introduce RS32063 after a motion from Rep. Hawkins. The motion carried over recorded opposition: Rep. Plough, Rep. Nelson and Rep. Wisniewski were recorded as opposed.
If printed, RS32063 will receive a public hearing so districts, parents and other stakeholders can weigh in before any legislative action.
The committee moved next to other business after the introduction vote.
