After hearing from several educators that cell phones are distractions in the classroom, Texas lawmakers are considering banning the devices in K-12 schools, a proposition drawing on rare bipartisan support from the Texas House of Representatives.
Under House Bill 1481, authored by the only Gen Z member of the Texas Legislature Rep. Caroline Fairly (R-Amarillo), students in K-12 schools wouldn’t be allowed to use “personal wireless communication devices” during class times. School districts and charter schools would be required to designate “a secure, out-of-sight area for the storage” for such devices.
The bill lists cell phones, text messaging devices, laptops and tablets as devices that would fall under the state’s K-12 classroom ban.
Lawmakers heard from educators and parents during a House Public Education Committee hearing March 18, where supporters of the bill expressed concern over students’ mental health and the use of social media for cyberbullying.
Surging research from the past few years has drawn a link between cell phone use and students developing shorter attention spans and being less able to engage during class times.
A majority of House representatives, including Republican and Democrat officials from the San Antonio area, co-sponsor the bill: Philip Cortez (D-San Antonio), John Lujan (R-San Antonio), Trey Martinez-Fischer (D-San Antonio) and Ray Lopez (D-San Antonio).
Meanwhile, Diego Bernal (D-San Antonio), the only representative from San Antonio who sits on the House Public Education Committee, is not a sponsor of the bill.
Cortez, who represents District 119 including southwest parts of the city, said the intent of the bill is to try to ensure that children have the ability to be focused in the classroom. “Although there is a place for them (cell phones), I don’t believe the classroom is the best place for them in terms of ensuring a productive learning environment,” he said.
Cortez says the bill easily drew bipartisan support because most state lawmakers recognize how cell phones have turned into a “huge issue” in the classroom, making it challenging for teachers to manage classrooms and putting students’ mental health and wellbeing at risk.
But there are those who disagree.
While limiting cell phone use in schools is a good idea, putting a complete ban on cell phones during class time is going too far, especially for campuses that are increasingly reliant on technology for instruction, said Denise Valuk, a mom of two teens, 15 and 17, enrolled at Anne Frank Inspire Academy, a charter school in San Antonio.
Valuk said Anne Frank is an electronically based campus where her two sons submit all assignments through a laptop, tablet or smartphone.
“This to me is not a yes or no answer,” Valuk said, adding that a complete ban on personal technology devices would “decimate” her children’s learning environment and their future in the workplace.
The proposed version of the bill would allow for schools to provide students with electronic devices for instructional purposes.
She’s also concerned about school safety and other emergencies, Valuk said, referencing the 2022 shooting at Robb Elementary School in Uvalde that killed 19 children and two adults.
“I would want my kids to be able to communicate in the event of something horrible or just a regular emergency,” she said.
But Valuk also worries her teenage students are negatively impacted by the free use of cell phones when it comes to their attention spans and productivity. Valuk compares her teenagers to her eldest 28-year-old son who didn’t have as much access to electronic devices and the internet growing up.
“I see the difference in his productivity level and his motivation, versus these two kids that have access to social media and so much [screen] time on their phones,” Valuk said. “I kind of see the difference in how they act and what they do.”
Currently, cell phone policies vary from one school district to another in Texas. Even within most school districts, school administrators are free to create their own policies on each campus.
Several school districts in the state have adopted cell phone bans already, such as Keller Independent School District north of Fort Worth, which requires students to keep their phones turned off.
No such district-wide ban on cell phones has been enacted in San Antonio school districts.
At Churchill High School, part of North East Independent School District, phones are allowed during passing periods and lunch and when a student breaks the rules a verbal warning typically suffices, district spokesperson Aubrey Chancellor said.
Eisenhower Middle School, another NEISD school with an enrollment of 919, has a different policy dictating students cannot have phones out at all from bell to bell.
During the week of March 17-21, school administrators at Eisenhower confiscated 12 phones, Chancellor said.
The variety of cell phone policies at NEISD mirrors that of policies at other school districts and charter schools in the area.
The public education committee has not taken a vote on the bill, but it is expected to pass through committee and onto the House floor. If it passes the House, it’ll be up for consideration by the Texas Senate.
