- Wisconsin Gov. Tony Evers signed a bipartisan bill into law that will largely ban student cell phone use in public school classrooms.
- School boards are required to create a policy by July that generally prohibits cell phone use during the school day, with some exceptions.
- Exceptions to the ban can be made for emergencies, managing a student’s health, or using school-issued electronic devices.
- While Governor Evers expressed concern about the impact of cell phones on kids’ mental health, he noted he would have preferred leaving the decision to local school boards.
MADISON – Public school students will largely be banned from using cell phones in classrooms under a bipartisan bill Democratic Gov. Tony Evers signed into law Oct. 31.
The law will require public school boards to develop a policy by July that generally bars students from using cell phones during the school day.
The legislation, which passed the state Senate 29-4 on Oct. 14 and was approved by the state Assembly in February, allows school boards to create exemptions for certain reasons, like emergency situations and to manage a student’s health care. The law also allows for the use of school district-issued electronic devices.
Evers said he continues to believe it’s best to leave such decisions to local school boards in cooperation with their communities, and he wishes the Legislature would have taken a different approach with the legislation.
“Nevertheless, my promise to the people of Wisconsin is to always do what’s best for our kids, and that obligation weighs heavily on me in considering this bill, as it does every bill affecting kids that reaches my desk,” Evers, a former educator and state Superintendent of Public Instruction, said in a statement.
The governor, who declared 2025 the “Year of the Kid” in his January State of the State address, said he is “deeply concerned about the impacts cell phone and social media use are having on our kids and their mental health, school outcomes, and how our kids engage and interact with each other and the world around us.”
“Our kids are struggling today, perhaps now more than ever. It’s really tough to be a kid these days, and we know that cellphones can be a major distraction from learning, a source of bullying, and a barrier to our kids’ important work of just being a kid,” Evers said.
While schools must prepare students for a “21st-century world, economy, and future,” Evers said educators must also evolve along with technology — including “taking pragmatic steps to keep our kids safe and protect them from the harmful impacts of new and emerging technology.”
As the state Senate debated the bill earlier this month, Sen. Melissa Ratcliff, D-Cottage Grove, suggested lawmakers should pass legislation addressing the prevalence of firearms and the scourge of school shootings instead of regulating cell phone use, noting her daughter alerted her to a school shooting nearby because she had access to a cell phone.
Bill author Sen. Rachael Cabral-Guevera, R-Appleton, said the bill allows for exceptions and should help students listen in class and would keep communication lines from being clogged during a threat at the school.
The vast majority of public school districts — 90% — already report having a policy similar to what is prescribed in the bill, according to a survey conducted by the state Department of Public Instruction.
Research compiled by the state Office of Children’s Mental Health points to concerns with smartphone use among children impairing development of social skills, contributing to mental health issues, disrupting ability to focus and exposing kids to inappropriate content and cyberbullying.
Some school administrators told lawmakers earlier this year that they oppose the bill because it is written too broadly to be effective.
“Limiting cell phones, gaming devices etc. to maintain an effective learning environment is essential in the classroom,” Greg Kabara, Nicolet Union High School District superintendent, wrote in a letter to lawmakers.
“While I understand the overall intent of the bill it seems too broad and less effective than allowing schools local control in regards to wireless devices during the school day.”
Rep. Joel Kitchens, R-Sturgeon Bay, said in February that the bill would help school officials maintain their existing policies.
“We are saying to the school districts that we’re standing with you on this, because everyone agrees this is a problem,” he said ahead of the Assembly vote.
In recent years, a growing number of states have adopted statewide bans or policies for cell phone use in schools, and such policies are generally popular with voters across the political spectrum, according to a recent report by the Wisconsin Policy Forum.
Jessie Opoien can be reached at jessie.opoien@jrn.com.
