LINCOLN, Neb. (WOWT) – State senators the capitol Tuesday heard testimony on a bill aimed at getting rid of distractions in schools.
Sen. Rita Sanders of Bellevue proposed LB140. It would require schools to have a policy restricting students from using cell phones or other electronic communication devices while on school property or at school functions.
Sanders and supporters say the bill would allow each school district to tailor the restrictions to what best suits them.
There would be exceptions, such as for students with disabilities, health conditions, or in case of emergencies.
The Education Committee heard quite a bit of testimony in support of it, including from Gov. Jim Pillen, Attorney General Mike Hilgers, educators, and even some students.
“I think that when you don’t have your phone, you don’t get as distracted as easy when you’re having your own time to get your homework done,” said Westside High School student Marley Helvey. “You can get your homework done faster, and it also helps you understand the concept better.”
“One thing that drives up mental health concerns for young kids is the use of smart phones, and we know that one of the most powerful prescriptions that we could put in place to help protect them is to get phones out of the hands of children during the school day,” Hilgers said.
“I think that’s one of the most important things that we do. And so LB140 is intended to do just that, and it’s meant to do it in a not one-size-fits-all way.”
Two people testified against the bill.
The most common concern brought up in the hearing was about restricting devices at school functions, with testifiers saying the wording is too broad.
Hilgers said he’s happy to work with the committee on amendments to address those concerns.
This bill has to get out of committee before being debated on the floor.
State lawmakers also had a conversation over school safety and children’s privacy at the state capitol Tuesday.
Sen. Danielle Conrad of Lincoln’s proposal LB31 would direct the State Board of Education to develop a model policy related to technology that tracks and monitors students. Each school district would then have to adopt a written policy that reflects that.
Conrad said her proposal would require school districts to show transparency about the technology they’re buying, how much they’re spending on it, and whether or not parents can opt out for their kids.
She said since public schools are government entities, using mass surveillance without probable cause raises civil rights implications, as well as concerns over what’s happening with that data.
“When those tools of mass surveillance are tracking, ‘Is Janet in history? Is Janet in the bathroom?’ That’s literally data that’s tracked, and it goes someplace,” Conrad said. “Either it’s sold, or it goes back to the vendor company, and through like a maintenance contract or otherwise. And we know in an ever-evolving tech world, data has value—commercial value.”
Other lawmakers questioned Conrad over the wording in her bill, and whether or not it takes into account safety benefits from this surveillance.
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