Should cellphones be allowed in schools? New Oklahoma bill would encourage districts to enact bans

By an 8-3 vote, the Oklahoma Senate’s Education Committee approved Tuesday a bill to create an incentive program for school districts that adopt a cellphone-free campus policy. A few senators suggested they’d be willing to go a step further and implement an absolute ban on cellphones in schools.

Sponsored by Sen. Adam Pugh, R-Edmond — the committee’s chair — Senate Bill 1314 would have an estimated fiscal impact of $181 million. That amount led three Republican senators — Michael Bergstrom, of Adair; Julie Daniels, of Bartlesville; and Dusty Deevers, of Elgin — to vote against the idea, but Daniels and Deevers both said they’d be open to a full-out ban.

“I am ready to ban cellphones in schools and not use tax dollars to incentivize folks to do the right thing,” Daniels said. “We have years of evidence on this, and I don’t think we should mess around any more. … I am beyond incentivizing this.”

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Added Deevers: “I completely agree with everyone’s longing to see cellphones out of school. I will be a no (vote), because of the financial aspect of it … but I don’t think we should be incentivizing what is best practice anyway.”

Bergstrom suggested “it should be the (local) school boards who can take action without compensation.”

Pugh acknowledged that “I don’t know how to solve this problem. My initial reaction was to ban and maybe that’s where we get to.” He also said he wants schools “to figure it out” and said he’s open to other ways of tackling the issue.

Bill would provide financial incentive for cell phone bans

Under the bill, the Oklahoma State Department of Education would create and administer the incentive program. Once a public-school district had its cellphone-free policy approved by the Education Department, it would receive a mid-year adjustment in state aid, based upon the district’s enrollment — $100,000 for those with an average daily attendance (ADA) of 500 or less, $500,000 for districts with enrollments of 501-1,500 students and $1 million for districts with more than 1,500 students.

Districts applying for the program would be subject to unannounced visits by the Education Department’s regional accreditation officers to ensure their compliance with their district’s policy. If a district was found to be in noncompliance, the agency could claw back the incentive money.

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The bill follows one approved by the committee last week that would create a pilot program to allow Oklahoma public schools to create phone-free school sites. Senate Bill 1321 would provide grant-style funding for up to nine middle or high schools to cover the costs associated for sites going cellphone free for the duration of the school day.

That bill was authored by the committee’s vice chair, Sen. Ally Seifried, R-Claremore. She noted student pages who have worked for senators during the early portion of the current legislative system have expressed to her their support of bills that would limit cellphone usage during school hours.

“My goal and (Pugh’s) goal is to raise awareness and start the conversation,” Seifried said. “Let’s not stop that conversation. My pages this week … recognize that things are not right. They need our help. The time is now.”

Pugh said curbing cellphone use among students while at school is imperative. He said their use leads to a lack of focus, an inability to concentrate and social ills, including depression and intimidation.

“I want schools to know that this body is paying attention to cellphone use,” he said. “I have heard from teachers and parents, and everybody is trying to tackle this issue. … I think this is a nonpartisan issue. There is no R or D on the back of a cellphone.”

The committee also struck the title of the bill, a procedural move that allows controversial bills to remain alive through the legislative process. The bill also has been assigned to the Senate Appropriations Committee and would need to be approved there before advancing to the full Senate.

This article originally appeared on Oklahoman: Oklahoma Senate bill offers money to schools that ban cellphones