MID-MICHIGAN (WNEM) – Gov. Gretchen Whitmer will make her seventh State of the State on Wednesday, Feb. 26, and in her address, she’s expected to call for state lawmakers to pass bipartisan legislation limiting the use of phones at school.
A state representative has already introduced a bill that would do that, saying teen and tween girls have endured a mental health crisis tied to cell phones that began in 2012, and he’s trying to do something about it.
“We are not proposing banning cell phones, period,” said Lt. Gov. Garlin Gilchrist III.
He wants to make it clear that Whitmer is not proposing a total ban of cell phones at school during her State of the State address. Gilchrist said she will call for limiting the use of phones in class.
“We want the state legislature to have a conversation about what it would mean to get this under control so that kids can focus on the things they need to focus on at school,” Gilchrist said.
State Rep. Mark Tisdel has reintroduced House Bill 4141 to address this issue.
“K through five, leave your smart devices at home. Let’s learn how to read and do basic math first. Six, seven, and eight, when the bell rings in the morning, you put it away. When it rings in the afternoon, you can get it back out. Grades nine through 12, you can use it during passing time in the hallways, you can use it in the cafeteria, you can use it before school, after school. You cannot use it in the restrooms. You cannot use it in the locker rooms. No use in, put it away during instruction time,” Tisdel said.
He wants to give school districts across the state a minimum baseline of guidelines to follow. He said many districts already have cell phone policies that are stricter than what his legislation calls for.
He’s looking forward to hearing what Whitmer has to say about cell phones in schools.
“I welcome the fact that she now recognizes this as a priority. I’m enthusiastic that there will definitely be action taken,” Tisdel said.
As for Gilchrist, he knows there are parents out there who want to be able to reach their child at all times during the school day.
“Every family has a different set of needs, and we want to hear from all those families. So, call your legislator and tell them what it means to you to be able to have your kid’s cell phone usage, in school, outside of school, have it work for you,” Gilchrist said.
According to the governor’s office, 90% of educators report having serious concerns about their students’ mental health, and they support policies implemented at the school district level prohibiting cell phone use during instructional time.
You can watch the State of the State address at 7 p.m. on Wednesday, Feb. 26 on TV5+, on WNEM.com, or on our streaming apps.
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