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A Senate subcommittee gave initial approval Wednesday to Gov. Kim Reynolds’ proposal to set a statewide minimum policy restricting students’ cellphone use in schools.
The bill, Senate Study Bill 1065, would require school boards to adopt policies that, at minimum, ban use of personal electronic devices during instructional periods. Schools could add further restrictions on the use of cellphones through the school day.
The measure would require school districts specify disciplinary action if a student uses their cellphone during class or tests, and requires schools set protocols to securely store personal electronic devices. The policies would begin in the 2025-2026 school year.
The legislation includes caveats for students with Individualized Education Program (IEP) or 504 plans that require accommodations involving the use of cellphones or other electronic devices. It also requires school districts to allow parents to petition to let their child keep their cellphone with them during class if they can establish “a legitimate reason related to the student’s physical or mental health.”
The Department of Education would be required to develop and distribute model policies to Iowa school districts. It would also require the education department to work with the Department of Public Safety to develop and reform emergency plans in line with the cellphone use restrictions, so parents and guardians would be able to contact their child during the school day in the case of an emergency.
Molly Severn, legislative liaison for the governor’s office, cited a survey from the Pew Research Center that showed 72% of high school teachers said students being distracted by cellphones was a major problem in their classrooms.
“With digital distractions at an all time high, Gov. Reynolds wants ensure that Iowa’s classrooms maintain environments for focus, learning and productivity,” Severn said.
Several Iowa school districts have already implemented cellphone use policies. In a news release on the governor’s proposal, Ottumwa Community Schools Superintendent Michael McGrory said the bill would “undoubtedly benefit students across Iowa” and that his district has already seen positive impacts from implementing a cellphone policy.
Education advocates were largely in support of the measure, though several organizations were registered as “undecided” because of questions about the timeline for implementation and certain professional development provisions.
Sen. Herman Quirmbach, D-Ames, who voted against the measure, asked if school districts are already implementing school cellphone use policies across the state, “why does the governor need to get involved?” He said cellphone use in schools was a problem, but that legislative action was not necessarily required as school districts already had the authority to set policies on the issue.
Quirmbach also said he did not support the measure’s limit requiring parents to obtain permission for their child have a cellphone with them in class if having the device is related to the student’s health.
“You can imagine situations where a student who has problems with diabetes, epilepsy, food allergy and food poisoning, asthma — there are lots of situations where students may need to have immediate access, first of all, to their parents to let them know something’s going on, but also direct access to medical resources to help them avoid a catastrophe,” Quirmbach said.
In addition to cellphone use, the legislation would require 6th- through 8th-grade students to take “effects of social media” training. Sen. Jeff Taylor, R-Sioux Center, said he was appreciative of the measure as a way to help students navigate these online spaces. Several studies have found links between high social media use and negative mental health outcomes among teens.
“Social media, although in some ways, is wonderful, in other ways it can be quite harmful and upsetting, especially to kids of certain age,” Taylor said.
The measure is available for consideration by the Senate Education Committee.