Alabama Governor backs bill restricting smart phone use in schools
The legislation, introduced by Sen. Donnie Chesteen (R-SD-29) and Rep. Leigh Hulsey (R-HD-15), does not prohibit students from bringing phones to school but allows educators to restrict their use during lessons. Local school boards would have discretion over enforcement policies.
'Students cannot do their best when their learning environment is cluttered with distractions,' Ivey said. 'I share the view of most teachers and parents that cell phones should be banned in the classroom.'
Rep. Joe Lovvorn, Alabama House District 79, says the push for classroom phone restrictions comes as Alabama has made significant progress in education rankings. Over the last five years, the state has climbed from 52nd to 32nd in fourth-grade math and from 49th to 34th in fourth-grade reading—some of the largest gains in the nation.
'We've been able to do this thanks to the hard work of our students and teachers and the Legislature prioritizing common sense education policy. HB166 does not prevent parents from sending their children to school with a phone but allows educators to limit its use during instruction. The bottom line is that eliminating distractions in the classroom better positions our future leaders to reach their full potential,' said Rep. Lovvorn (R-HD-79).
While many parents and educators support the measure, concerns remain over how it may affect student safety and communication. Some families rely on tracking apps like Life360 to monitor their child's location. However, the bill allows phone use before and after class and does not restrict access during extracurricular activities.
In addition to phone restrictions, the legislation includes provisions for internet safety policies on school devices and requires social media training for students before eighth grade.
The bill now moves to the Alabama Legislature for debate and potential amendments. If passed, it would apply to all public schools across the state, with local districts responsible for implementation.
Copyright 2025 Nexstar Media, Inc. All rights reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten, or redistributed.
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Newsom employed a similar strategy when he demolished the Republican-led recall campaign against him in 2021, which the governor portrayed as a 'life and death' battle against 'Trumpism' and far-right anti-vaccine and antiabortion activists. Among California's Democratic-heavy electorate, that message proved to be extremely effective. 'Wake up, America,' Newsom said Thursday at a Los Angeles rally launching the campaign for the redistricting measure. 'Wake up to what Donald Trump is doing. Wake up to his assault. Wake up to the assault on institutions and knowledge and history. Wake up to his war on science, public health, his war against the American people.' Kevin Liao, a Democratic strategist who has worked on national and statewide campaigns, said his D.C. and California-based political group chats had been blowing up in recent days with texts about the moment Newsom was creating for himself. 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In an attention-deficit economy where standing out is half the battle, the posts sparkle with unapologetic swagger. And they make clear that Newsom is in on the joke. 'To a certain set of folks who operated under the old rules, this could be seen as, 'Wow, this is really outlandish.' But I think they are making the calculation that Democrats want folks that are going to play under this new set of rules that Trump has established,' Liao said. At a moment when the Democratic party is still occupied with post-defeat recriminations and what's-next vision boarding, Newsom has emerged from the bog with something resembling a plan. And he's betting the house on his deep-blue state's willingness to fight fire with fire. Times staff writers Seema Mehta and Laura Nelson contributed to this report.
