The temptation to text a friend when a teacher’s lesson gets boring may no longer be an option for Louisiana students.
A bill, authored by Sen. Beth Mizell, R-Franklinton, would make students turn off and stow away "electronic telecommunication devices," such as cell phones, during the instructional day. It would not apply to students who receive special education and who need a cell phone as part of their individualized education plan.
The bill could apply to phones, smart watches, headphones or a combination of those, if the schools desire.
“This is one of those rare situations where it’s good for the students and it’s good for the teacher,” Mizell said last month when speaking on the Senate floor. “Teachers in workforce groups have said this is the biggest distraction they’re fighting against in the classroom.”
The Senate has unanimously passed the bill, and a House committee passed it on Tuesday. It must pass on the House floor before heading to the governor's desk to be signed. If signed, it would go into effect for the upcoming school year.
During Tuesday's debate, senators and House members raised concerns about students who might need their phone in an emergency. But Mizell said students should rely on the adults in charge, as students had to do before “every student in the school had the means" to use a cell phone, she said.
A parent who spoke against the bill at Tuesday’s committee hearing argued teachers already have enough responsibilities they aren’t adequately paid for.
Mizell said she wrote the bill after hearing social psychologist Jonathan Haidt speak about how cell phones pose constant distractions to students and increase loneliness.
There are a few ways schools and teachers could implement the law, Mizell said. Teachers could use numbered phone holders, which are similar to over-the-door shoe hangers. Another option are Yondr bags, locked pouches that hold phones that have been used at some concert venues.
Schools already are allowed to prohibit cell phone use in class, but Mizell said if the state mandates the restriction, it lifts the burden off schools and teachers and “(provides) cover for them to do what they want to do already.”
Florida and Utah have laws that ban phones in classrooms. Oklahoma, Vermont and Kansas introduced legislation to do the same, according to the Associated Press.