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Senate panel approves bill letting districts set limits on student cell‑phone use with narrow exceptions
Summary
The committee approved a bill that leaves cell‑phone policy to local school districts while carving out exceptions for students with disabilities and emergent multilingual learners; senators debated whether teachers' unions should be mentioned in the bill's stakeholder list and agreed on language that keeps policymaking local.
The Senate Education Committee advanced a bill that would require school districts to adopt policies limiting the use of personal devices by students during the school day while preserving narrowly defined exceptions.
Under the committee‑amended language, local school district policies may limit or prohibit student use of personal devices during instructional time. The amendment preserved specific exemptions for students who require devices as part of an individualized education program (IEP) or under Section 504 accommodations, and for emergent multilingual students who may rely on device‑based translation and learning supports.
Committee debate focused on who should be included in the local policymaking process. One senator proposed including "education associations" (unions) among stakeholders; another argued that teacher input is important but that unions should not be written into law as policy makers. After discussion the committee adopted an amendment (transcript identifies amendment file 0653s) that retains teacher involvement while allowing districts to craft rules suited to local needs and resources.
Supporters emphasized practical classroom considerations: some teachers use phone‑based programs such as Kahoot for instruction and some districts lack laptop ratios that would otherwise permit digital learning without personal devices. The adopted language allows districts to make local decisions—placing the details of prohibitions and exemptions in district policy rather than imposing a statewide ban.
The committee voted Ought to Pass with the adopted amendment by unanimous consent on the floor (recorded in transcript as 5‑0 on the amended bill). Members said the approach balances classroom management, equity, and student‑support needs.
