FLORIDA – The bill that bans cell phone use for Florida elementary and middle school students during the school day went into effect on Tuesday.
RELATED: Here are 25 new Florida laws that will go into effect on July 1
The cell phone change was included in a broader education bill, HB 1105.
The bill would also create a pilot program in six counties that would prevent cell phone use in high schools during the entire school day.
Some parents said the change is long overdue.
“I think it’s a distraction, just the technology,” a parent named Tasha said.
Others said phones can be vital in an emergency and removing them may not be the safest choice.
“These kids having cell phones could actually benefit if something were to happen at the schools,” another parent named Maggie said.
“It’s a bad idea, because these kids need their phones just in case it’s an emergency. They need to get in touch with their parents, because the school doesn’t always have the correct numbers,” Michelle said.
Tasha and Maggie offered a compromise to the ban.
“Keep it in your locker,” Tasha said. “I think that would be a better idea, but definitely not in the classroom.”
Having access to them, restrictions because kids are gonna be kids, they’ve let them have them now and then they take them away,” Maggie said.
Sen. Danny Burgess, a Zephyrhills Republican who led efforts to pass the bill in the Senate, said lawmakers were taking a hybrid approach and cited a “different dynamic” in high schools than in lower grades.
The pilot would be in two small counties, two medium-sized counties, and two large counties selected by the Department of Education.
News4JAX spoke with Crime and Safety Analyst Tom Hackney about what implementing these rules might look like. The bill doesn’t explicitly state how administrators might enforce the bill. He said that with high school students, it could cause some tension.
“The high school age student, it’s going to be a tough one,” Hackney said, “Because you’ve got kids that are working after school and somewhat independent. Still juveniles and kids, but that’s going to be tough.”
The bill also included changes that would help charter schools. For instance, it would require that charter schools get a cut if school districts receive sales-tax money through what is known as a local-government infrastructure surtax. Charter schools would receive proportionate shares based on school enrollment.
Also, the bill would make it easier to convert traditional public schools to charter schools. Currently, such conversions must receive support from a majority of parents and a majority of teachers. The bill would remove the requirement for teacher support.
News4JAX reached out to the Duval County School District on what the ban would look like when the school year starts and is waiting for a response.
Copyright 2025 by WJXT News4JAX – All rights reserved.
