NASHVILLE, Tenn. (WKRN) — A Tennessee bill that would authorize school districts to pass policies banning cell phone use during instructional time gained bipartisan support and unanimously passed its first House subcommittee hearing this week.
The proposed legislation, sponsored by Republican Rep. Rebecca Alexander (R-Jonesborough) and Republican Sen. Ferrell Haile (R-Gallatin), would also allow districts to pass policies requiring students to hand over their phones at the beginning of the school day.
House Republicans told reporters Thursday some school boards were concerned about whether they had the authority to pass certain policies to regulate cell phone use.
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“It makes it clear in state law,” House Majority Leader William Lamberth (R-Portland) said. “It’s not us setting one policy for every school district in the state. It’s literally saying, ‘Hey, just look at this and see what makes sense in each school,’ and that’s going to vary, I can guarantee you, from elementary schools, to middle schools, to high schools, and depending on the situation they’re in.”
The Republican-sponsored House version of the bill passed unanimously Tuesday and received support from across the aisle.
“Just for the record, my grandkids are already upset at me for telling them that I’m going to vote for this,” Rep. Ronnie Glynn (D-Clarksville) said during the subcommittee hearing.
Some districts, including Rutherford County Schools (RCS), already have a policy banning cell phones and other personal communication devices during instruction time. At RSC, teachers can also confiscate a student’s cell phone after multiple offenses.
Rutherford County School Board Vice Chair, Frances Rosales told News 2 the policy was enacted after some teachers reported issues with cell phone usage during class.
“When you’ve got a child that is on the phone, it’s a distraction to everyone in the classroom,” Rosales said. “It just takes away from the instruction time that is valuable for the students to really listen and try to comprehend and grasp what the teacher is trying to teach.”
Rosales is glad to see the policy could be “reinforced” statewide.
“I think the schools will see some results in their test-taking; I believe they will see some good things come out of it that will be a positive change,” Rosales said.
The bill would allow exceptions for students with disabilities and those who need to check their cell phones due to medical issues. In addition, it would establish a process where parents and guardians will still be contacted during an emergency, “to ensure that the absence of, or restricted access to, wireless communication devices during the school day does not prevent parents from receiving notice of an emergency or possible emergency,” according to the bill.
At least 19 other states have passed similar legislation to either regulate or restrict cell phone usage during instruction time.
The House and Senate versions of the bill will be debated in their respective Education Committees next week.
