The vice-chair of the Oklahoma Senate Education Committee, Senator Ally Seifried, has filed Senate Bill 139 which requires public school districts to adopt policies to prevent students from using cell phones in the classroom. It also creates a grant program to help middle and high schools implement the policies.
Seifried held an interim study which showed a nationwide drop in test scores and a rise in anxiety and depression among children. Researchers recommend limiting cell phone use in schools by students to help alleviate some of the issues.
“With national research increasingly showing that classroom phone use harms students’ grades and their overall well-being, more states are taking action to limit devices in schools,” Seifried said. “It’s time for Oklahoma to lead the way in creating distraction-free schools where students can devote their full attention to their education.”
Seifried’s bill does give school districts discretion on how to move forward with developing cell-phone use policies. However, accommodations are required for students using their phones to monitor medical conditions, as well as emergency situations.
“Rural and urban educators overwhelmingly agree that students perform better when they’re not inundated with texts, social media messages and constant notifications,” Seifried said. “But phasing phones out of the classroom may look different in smaller schools than in larger schools. This legislation gives districts the flexibility to create their own phone-free policies, rather than imposing a one-size-fits-all mandate on schools.”
