Gov. Kim Reynolds spoke about her plans to set a statewide school cellphone use policy during her Condition of the State address Jan. 14, 2025. (Screen shot courtesy of Iowa PBS)
Gov. Kim Reynolds announced Friday she has introduced legislation to restrict cellphone use during instructional time in Iowa K-12 schools.
The details of the bill have not yet been published, but the governor said in a news release the legislation will establish a minimum standard for limiting students’ use of cellphones during school that must be adopted by all school districts by July 1, 2025. According to the release, the Iowa Department of Education will release sample policies for school districts to cite.
Reynolds said heading into the 2025 legislative session that implementing a statewide policy on cellphones in schools was a top priority.
“Cell phones are not only a distraction but a deterrent to development in the classroom,” Reynolds said in a statement Friday. “Seven in 10 high school teachers say smartphones are a major problem and 80 percent of Gen Z students spend over six hours per day on their phone. Let’s return the classroom to a place for learning, growth, and connection to give students their best chance at success.”
In addition to restricting cellphone use during classes, the legislation would require students in grades 6 through 8 to take “effects of social media” training.
Ankeny, Ames, Dallas Center-Grimes and Ottumwa school districts are among school districts that have already implemented some level of cellphone restrictions for students during school. Reynolds said she has had discussions with school districts while crafting the proposal. Ottumwa Community Schools Superintendent Michael McGrory said his school district’s cellphone policy has had a positive impact on students’ mental health, and a statewide policy would “undoubtedly benefit students across Iowa.”
Other school districts, including Des Moines Public Schools, have been in talks on adopting cellphone policies. Des Moines Public Schools Superintendent Dr. Ian Roberts spoke in support of the governor’s proposal, applauding her “commitment to support schools protecting the instructional time and keeping such time free from distractions.”
“While cell phones are a part of our daily lives, they are also a distraction when used at the wrong time or place,” Roberts said in the news release. “In schools, a common-sense approach to limit their use will keep students more engaged and teachers even more effective in the classroom of every school district. In Des Moines, we are seeing some positive results from a pilot program limiting cell phone usage at Hoover High School that gives us hope that this can make a positive difference in Iowa schools.”