The Iowa House passed Gov. Kim Reynolds’ proposal Tuesday to create a statewide ban on cellphones for students during instruction time in school classrooms.
The Iowa House passed Gov. Kim Reynolds’ proposal Tuesday to set a statewide restriction on cellphone use in school classrooms.
The measure, House File 782, was highlighted as one of the governor’s priorities heading into the 2025 legislative session. The bill would require school boards to adopt a policy beginning in the 2025-2026 school year banning the use of personal electronic devices during instruction time. Boards would have the option of adding further restrictions during the school day. School districts would be required to put in place specific disciplinary measures for students who use cellphones during class and tests.
There are some exceptions to the minimum ban in cases where students have an Individualized Education Program (IEP) or 504 plan that requires accommodations involving the use of cellphones or another electronic device. Additionally, parents and guardians could petition the school district to allow their child to keep their cellphone with them during class if they establish a “legitimate reason” related to the student’s mental or physical health necessitating they have their cellphone accessible during class.
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Several Iowa schools already have policies in place to restrict cellphone use during the school day, including Ankeny, Dallas Center-Grimes, Des Moines and Ottumwa.
Rep. Jeff Shipley, the bill’s floor manager, thanked leaders at school districts including Ottumwa and Des Moines that have already enacted cellphone policies for sharing stories with lawmakers and the public about the success they’ve seen in implementing these measures. The Birmingham Republican also thanked Reynolds for bringing the bill forward as a way of “ensuring our state makes these much-needed policy changes.”
“I appreciate the positive discussion on this bill, and the consensus we’ve reached that this is a good direction for the state of Iowa,” Shipley said. “It is my hope that the discussion — the acknowledgement — that the proliferation and dependence on electronic and digital devices can and does often come with negative impacts on both adults and children … continues into the future.”
The measure received bipartisan support in both chambers through the committee process, though some Democrats have expressed concerns about the provision that would potentially give school districts the ability to veto a parent’s request for their child to have a personal electronic device on hand if their reasoning is not deemed “legitimate.”
Rep. Heather Matson, D-Ankeny, introduced an amendment to remove this process and allow exemptions to the cellphone ban on the basis of a student’s individual health plan, in the same way that students with 504 or IEP plans are given exemptions. The amendment failed in a 31-65 vote, with Shipley saying he appreciated “the objective of the amendment” but believed the concern was addressed by the language allowing parents and guardians to petition the school district for an exemption.
Though Matson’s amendment failed, she still spoke in support of the bill.
“I do think that it is reasonable for people to have different views on the state’s role on this issue,” Matson said. “Many school districts, including my own, have already instituted a successful policy, and many more are likely to follow as a matter of course. That being said, I think we all know of the critical distractions caused by cellphones and other electronic devices. … I believe that the evidence has shown that restrictions are making a difference, and for that reason, I will be voting yes.”
The House passed the measure 88-9. The companion version of the bill, Senate File 370, is available for floor debate in the Senate.
Reynolds released a statement Tuesday thanking House lawmakers for passing the bill.
“With digital distractions at an all-time high, we must ensure Iowa classrooms maintain environments where focus, learning, and productivity can truly thrive,” Reynolds said in a statement. “Our students deserve the opportunity to learn free from the distraction of personal electronic devices. Already, we’ve seen positive proven results from schools who have implemented similar cell phone policies.”
House approves governor’s proposal for math instruction
The House also passed House File 784 in a 82-15 vote Tuesday, another one of the governor’s education bills related to mathematics instruction. The bill would require Iowa schools to assess K-6 students at least three times a year using a mathematics screener from the Iowa Department of Education. If a student is deemed “persistently at risk” through this assessment, schools would be required to assist the student by constructing personalized mathematics plans as well as other intervention strategies to aid the child until they meet grade-standard proficiency.
The state Department of Education would also be directed to develop and distribute a comprehensive mathematics plan to increase math proficiency at Iowa schools and to provide parents and teachers additional aid for math instruction. The measure was introduced after mathematics proficiency was identified in the 2024 National Assessment of Educational Progress (NAEP) as an area for improvement in Iowa, as mathematics scores decreased for both fourth and eighth graders.
Rep. Dan Gehlbach, R-Urbandale, said the measure builds on a 2024 law supported by Reynolds aimed at improving Iowa K-6 student literacy rates through school interventions and the promotion of certain teaching methods related to the “science of reading.” He said Iowa saw improvements in reading scores following the passage of that law, and the mathematics legislation took a similar approach to improving Iowa’s “lagging math performance.”
“This bill’s early intervention sets students up for long-term achievement in STEM fields and beyond, by providing teachers with training and resources grounded in research, the bill ensures math instruction is effective and consistent across the state,” Gehlbach said.
An amendment from Gehlbach making the bill effective July 1, 2025 was adopted, while an amendment from Rep. Monica Kurth, D-Davenport, to push back the start date to July 1, 2026 failed.
Kurth disputed the framing of the bill as needed following Iowa’s NAEP scores, saying “the house is not on fire.” Though Iowa’s math rankings fell from from 7th to 30th for fourth graders, and from 15th to 23rd for eighth graders according to the NAEP report, Kurth said the actual scores for students in these categories only fell a small amount — by 3% and 2% respectively.
“Even though we’re being told this is a horrible thing that we’ve just fallen, what it actually means is that many, many states are clustered very, very close together, and so our rank ended up being dropped, just because we fell a little bit,” Kurth said.
It’s good news that Iowa’s math scores are “not the emergency that we’re being led to believe that it is,” Kurth said, but added concerns about the bill’s reliance on testing and lack of funding. She said “intensive interventions” are being mandated by the state under this bill, but that schools would have to fund these practices using their general fund with no additional support from the state for extra materials, training and interventions.
“Yes, I know math is important,” Kurth, a former mathematics instructor, said. “No, I don’t think it’s an emergency right now, but yes, we want to have our students do better. Is this the way to do it? I think we need to put some money where our mouths are. And I think we better take a better approach to making a good bill that will have a solid chance of making an improvement for our students.”
The bill heads to the Senate for further consideration, with the companion legislation Senate File 450 available for floor debate.
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