'A bloody bath for teachers': Lawmakers consider state ban on cell phones in class
FRANKFORT - A recent study found 97% of students use their cell phones during school hours, with a median use time of 43 minutes.
State Rep. Josh Bray, R-Mount Vernon, thinks he has a fix for that. He wants the Kentucky legislature to pass a bill that would ban cell phone use during class.
House Bill 383, which was advanced by the House Education Committee on Tuesday morning, would mandate that school boards adopt policies that prohibit cell phone use "during instructional time" except during emergencies, if directed by a teacher for instructional purposes, or if cell phones are part of a student's individual education plan.
State law already mandates that school boards develop policies regarding student cell phone use on school property. Bray's bill goes further by stating that the phones cannot be used during classroom times.
The point is to give teachers and administrators additional support for cracking down on cell phone use in the classroom, Bray said.
The bill does not include specific provisions for how to handle students who disobey the policy. Those decisions should be made at the local level under districts' disciplinary policies, Bray said.
Some committee members wondered how the measure would impact teachers on the frontlines of the battle over cell phones in the classroom.
"This is not going to be as easy as it sounds," said Rep. Steve Riley, R-Glasgow. "In many ways, this is going to be a bloody bath for teachers."
Rep. Josh Calloway, R-Irvington, said the bill could help improve student mental health.
Committee Chairman James Tipton, R-Taylorsville, said representatives from the Kentucky School Boards Associations and the Kentucky Association of School Superintendents told him they did not have "negative pushback or concerns" about the bill.
The measure gained unanimous approval from the committee and goes back to the full House, where it needs a favorable vote to move forward.
This article originally appeared on Louisville Courier Journal: Cell phones could be banned in class under Kentucky legislation
