- The Republican-led proposal passed a first committee on Tuesday, with bipartisan support.
- Supporters say the effort is aimed at improving academic performance, student focus and communication skills.
- Eight other states have adopted similar policies, which have wide support according to national polling. Opposing parents have cited concerns about reaching their children during emergencies.
A bill allowing Tennessee school districts to adopt policies banning the use of cell phones and messaging devices during the school day – and permitting schools to require students to surrender their devices – passed a first committee hurdle on Tuesday.
House Bill 932 would authorize all school districts in Tennessee to develop and implement policies restricting the use of any wireless communication devices – including cell phones, tablets, laptop computers and gaming devices – during instructional time. Districts would not be required to adopt such a policy.
“What we’re doing here is we’re setting a minimum level of expectation of what we believe is the best interest of the students,” said Rep. Scott Cepicky, R-Culleoka.
The bill leaves specifics of each device policy to individual districts’ discretion. Districts could adopt policies requiring students to surrender devices at the beginning of the school day, or adopt restrictions on their use during classroom time only.
Provisions are made in the bill for students with disabilities and medical needs – such as diabetic students who need to check their insulin level – to use devices as needed
The bill passed unanimously out of the House Education Administration Subcommittee on Tuesday afternoon, with bipartisan support.
Eight states – including Florida, California, Indiana and Louisiana – have already adopted statewide school cell phone bans. More than a dozen others are considering similar policies or pilot programs.
About seven in 10 Americans support cell phone bans during class time, a nationwide Pew Research poll conducted last October found, while about a third of Americans support limitations on device use throughout the school day. Among those parents with reservations, many are concerned about being able to contact their child in cases of a disaster or emergency – like a school shooting.
Rep. Rebecca Alexander, R-Jonesborough, who is sponsoring the bill in Tennessee, worked with the Tennessee Association of School Boards and the Tennessee Organization of School Superintendents to draft the bill. Eighteen other House members have signed on to co-sponsor the bill.
During committee on Tuesday, Alexander cited a policy active in Hamblin County that prohibits use of cell phones and personal electronic devices throughout the school day.
“They have seen marked improvement in their scores, in what the students are receiving by being able to not have a cell phone, for example, during lunch time – able to communicate with other students directly, face to face,” Alexander said.
Cepicky said he has toured a few schools that have implemented similar policies.
“To see these children now starting to talk to each other and start to communicate to each other and express ideas to each other,” Cepicky said, “It’s reminiscent of the way our classrooms used to be, where kids were engaged in a day to day conversation with their peers and with their teachers.”
Vivian Jones covers state government and politics for The Tennessean. Reach her atvjones@tennessean.com
