Committee backs holding of bill requiring district cell‑phone policies after broad testimony

Senator Murray told the committee S 771 would require every public school district to adopt a policy on personal electronic devices, allowing district exceptions for students with individualized needs. Murray said the aim is to protect student mental health and reduce classroom distraction.

Teachers, local union leaders and district officials provided detailed testimony about implementation options and outcomes. Mary Barton, executive director of NEA‑RI, described restricting phones as “1 of many necessary steps to support our students academically, socially, and emotionally.” South Kingstown teachers and administrators described a year‑long rollout using lockable Yondr pouches; math teacher Dr. Brian Nelson said the change produced “noticeable improvements in student focus and engagement” and reported improved classroom conversations and student mental‑health indicators.

Nathaniel Greene Middle School administrators said pouches and broad community engagement (town halls, multilingual outreach and staff training) helped the policy take hold; the school reported fewer incidents of cyberbullying and improved attendance and test scores in the months after implementation. NEA witnesses emphasized that enforcement should rest with administrators, not classroom teachers.

Civil liberties advocates asked for guardrails. Madeleine McGonigal of the ACLU of Rhode Island asked the committee to add explicit protections against searches of students’ devices when administrators take possession or require storage, citing U.S. Supreme Court precedent about digital privacy.

Public‑health testimony from Brown University’s Elizabeth Burke Fry supported the bill as part of a broader strategy to address adolescent mental‑health concerns and recommended that the state provide guidance and model policies. Witnesses suggested the bill’s delayed effective date would allow districts time to prepare.

After cross‑examination on bell‑to‑bell implementation, special‑education exceptions and costs (for pouches or other storage solutions), the committee voted to hold S 771 and requested that guidance and model policy language be drafted for districts.