Minnesota weighs cell phone ban, restrictions in K-12 schools
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Minnesota legislators are considering outlawing cell phones in schools across the state.
A new proposed law seeks to prohibit cell phones and smart watches in elementary and middle schools and restrict usage in high school classrooms. Educators testified in a Monday Senate committee hearing about the positive effects of limiting cell phones in schools.
“We don’t enter the profession excited about telling students to put their phones away,” said Alex Hoselton, a Minneapolis high school teacher. “We get into the profession to make a difference, and I think this bill will make a difference as well.”
Others, like St. Cloud Public Schools superintendent Laurie Putnam, did not explicitly support the bill. But she did offer a glimpse into how their new cell phone policy has been successful for their K-12 students.
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Per a new Minnesota law passed last year, all schools are required to implement their own cell phone policies by March 15. Putnam says cell phones are not allowed in elementary and middle schools but are allowed during lunch and passing times for high schoolers.
They’ve been working on implementing those policies for the last year.
“We’ve seen a 50 percent reduction in cell phone discipline referrals,” said Putnam. “It is certainly a corollary to increased engagement in the classroom, and it decreases those power struggles that are happening day to day when someone’s saying put away your cell phone.”
Increased flexibility for high school students is meant to reinforce “responsible use” of cell phones.
“Many high schools across Minnesota are moving away from a blanket ban to foster responsible technology use,” said Molly Kensy, principal of Tech High School in St. Cloud. “Digital literacy is crucial, and we want to model appropriate use, rather than prohibit it entirely.”
Some say the legislation imposes a “one-size-fits-all mandate” on Minnesota schools. Cory Johnson, who spoke on behalf of the Minnesota School Boards Association, says last year’s state law on cell phone policies in schools already addresses time, place and manner of cell phone use.
“While I understand and appreciate the desire to limit distractions in the classroom and screen time for children, I believe this bill is overly broad and would have unfortunate and unintended negative consequences. School districts are already required to adopt a cell phone policy,” said Johnson.
He also said he’s concerned about the “inconsistent discretion” given to principals about making decisions on cell phone use.
Bill sponsor Sen. Alice Mann, DFL-Edina, clarified in closing remarks that the law is not a one size fits all approach. She noted there are exceptions written into the legislation, including that school districts have the discretion to write their own policies.
“This bill simply reinforces what schools are already doing. It doesn't change their policies. It doesn't change the way they do things. It just provides extra backup to do something that every single person who testified today said was the right thing to do,” said Mann.