Wisconsin school cellphone policy bill; weighing the options
Wisconsin bill to ban cellphones during class time
A Wisconsin bill is being considered that would call for districts to generally ban cellphones from the classroom, but it wouldn't apply at all time.
WISCONSIN - There’s a debate over cellphones in the classroom: should they be banned in Wisconsin classrooms?
Cellphones in the classroom
What we know:
A new Wisconsin bill, AB2, calls for school districts to ban them during class time, but there would be exceptions.
First, this proposal has to work its way through the Wisconsin Legislature and then Gov. Tony Evers’ desk.
Big picture view:
A growing number of states are setting rules on cellphones. Education Week's tracker shows 19 states already have rules or policies.
Some, like Arkansas, give schools money for phone pouches to store them during the day. Some states like Florida have a statewide restriction, while other states like Minnesota and Indiana require schools to put policies in place.
What we know:
The Wisconsin bill would require school boards have policies in place by July 2026. It would generally ban communication devices in public schools during instructional time. That would include cellphones, tablets, laptops and gaming devices.
The proposal says policies must have exceptions for things like emergencies, for student’s health, special education needs and if the teacher authorizes it for educational purposes.
The bill says district's policy may include consequences, including the possibility of taking away the device for the rest of the day.
What they're saying:
Fifth-grader David Zilberman is writing a paper on the issue.
"I want phones to be in the classroom because every kid does, but they should be banned," Zilberman said.
Teacher Karen Arbit based her assessment on decades of teaching.
"There is really no need for children to be looking at their phone, or looking at their apple watches during instructional time," she said. "Sure, it would ring during class, and obviously, it’s distracting to everybody. Texts coming in, especially you know during assessments, you really shouldn’t be able to have any access to any external support or answers."
It's a growing worry for teachers. The Pew Research Center found last year that 72% of U.S. high school teachers say cellphone distraction is a major problem in the classroom.
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But, there are other calls to weigh.
Dig deeper:
"Well, I feel like cellphones, on the one hand, they can be a distraction and I see why the ban is being considered. But also, on the other hand, I feel like when it comes to gun violence in schools and stuff like that, it's important for kids to be able to reach out to their parents and be able to have some form of communication to be able to reach people outside of the school," D.C. high school senior Eleanor Bertrand said.
"The phone is still in the building. The phone is still in their classroom. If there was truly an emergency, you’d be able to get it," Long Island, N.Y. principal Joseph Murphy said. "There’s always access to the phone. It’s just not accessible when you’re learning."
What's next:
On Tuesday, Feb. 10, a Wisconsin Assembly committee will hear public testimony on this new bill.
Current state law says school boards may ban things like phones. If it does, it's supposed to give each student a copy of the rules.
The Source: The information in this post was produced by FOX6 News.