A woman scrolling on a smartphone. An Alabama legislator wants school boards to adopt policies to restrict cell phones why in class. (Getty)
An Alabama lawmaker has filed legislation to limit the access students have to cell phones while in class.
HB 81, sponsored by Rep. Pebblin Warren, D-Tuskegee, would require each of the local school boards in Alabama to adopt a policy that requires students to place electronic devices in lockers or in a designated area within the classroom, so they do not have access to them while classes are in session.
The legislation defines electronic devices as computers, tablets and pagers. But Warren said in an interview Friday that her bill is specifically aimed at restricting students from using cellular devices on school grounds during times of instruction.
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“What I realized, going into these classes, they are playing games with each other in the classroom, they are sending text messages, they are listening to music, they are coming in with earphones in their ears, and they are sitting in class and have no idea what is going on in class,” Warren said.
Other bills have been filed on the subject. HB 65, sponsored by Rep. Patrick Sellers, D-Birmingham, is similar to Warren’s bill but would give local school boards the authority to set policies regarding cell phone use for the school day.
Legislators have tried to pass bills aimed at restricting cell phone use the past, most recently during the 2023 legislative session when Rep. Randy Wood, R-Anniston tried to enact a hands free cell phone rule for drivers.
Warren’s concerns regarding student use of electronic devices follows that of the Alabama Department of Education. Last year, the Alabama State Board of Education unanimously approved a resolution encouraging local school boards to regulate student use of of electronic devices on school property.
State Schools Superintendent Eric Mackey said at an Alabama State Board of Education meeting in February that the current rules relate to pagers when they were an issue, and that the resolution encourages school boards to review their policies as they relate to cell phones.
The U.S. Department of Education supports states and school boards establishing policies regarding cell phone use, citing concerns about the potential impact of cell phones and social media access on children’s mental health.
Warren’s legislation would build on last year’s state board policy and make it mandatory for school boards to have a cell phone policy.
Under the bill, the Alabama State Board of Education would adopt a model policy for local school boards, prohibiting students from having electronic communication devices like cell phones during classes.
Local school boards could base their policies on the state board’s model.
The bill would allow exceptions to cell phone bans, such as during an emergency or when the instructor “has authorized the use for educational purposes during classroom instructional time.” The bill also allows students with individualized education programs to have access to electronic devices.
Education groups said many school districts already have a policy in place or have dealt with the situation specific to the needs of their students.
“It would be different from district to district, but what I would think that every district would have a policy that addresses that use of those devices within the school setting,” said Ryan Hollingsworth, executive director of the School Superintendents of Alabama.
The policies from the local school boards will include an escalating punishment scale for additional violations, including fines for students for subsequent violations. But Warren said she was reconsidering the fine provision after speaking with education groups.
“They said in Alabama, you can’t charge fees to a student, so I said, ‘Well, you might need to do some community service work or do something around the school,’” she said.
Sally Smith, executive director of the Alabama Association of School Boards, said that a fine “would be a little unique in our student code of conduct as a consequence.”
“In particular, we want to be careful about mandating specific penalties,” she said.
Other penalties include a warning, confiscation of the electronic communication device, and parental contact, according to the bill.
Warren said the bill was inspired in part by her daughter, who is a teacher.
“I saw what was happening with my daughter in her classroom,” she said. “When I saw that, and I started to talk to her, she started expressing her concerns about how distracting it is, the kids are really just obsessed with it. They just can’t put it down.”
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