Are cellphones banned in Wisconsin schools? District policies vary across the state

Yahoo

19-05-2025

Most Wisconsin school districts have already restricted cell phone usage in the classroom in the fight for students' attention against digital distractions, says a new report from the Wisconsin Policy Forum.
Districts across the nation are moving to restrict the use of cell phones in classrooms, although not all students and parents support that decision. In Wisconsin, about 90% of districts surveyed "already have some sort of restrictive cellphone policy in place," according to a Wisconsin Department of Public Instruction survey.
Wisconsin school districts have implemented various cell phone usage policies, although most districts allow students to use cell phones in common areas, like cafeterias or hallways. Other districts are adopting much more restrictive policies and fully banning students from using their phone on school grounds.
In a separate Pew Research survey, nearly three quarters of teachers surveyed said students being distracted by their cell phones is a "major problem in their classroom."
Cell phone bans are mostly popular, depending on the level restriction, according to the Wisconsin Policy Forum report, which sited another Pew Research survey that found 68% of U.S. adults support a ban on middle and high school students using cell phones during instruction hours.
Here's a breakdown of the latest report from the Wisconsin Policy Forum.
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Researchers at the Wisconsin Policy Forum analyzed the results of a Digital Learning Survey by the state Department of Instruction.
Among the more than 300 districts surveyed, about 43% of them said their policies permit cell phone use only in middle and high school common areas. Another 26% reported their polices only permit cell phones in high school common areas.
About 20% of Wisconsin districts surveyed reported a full cell phone ban, and only about 10% had a non-restrictions policy.
Smaller districts were more likely to report the strictest cell phone restrictions. About 36% of districts with 500 or fewer students had full cell phone bans. Districts in which students of color are a majority also reported more strict cell phone bans, according to the report.
According to the Kaiser Family Foundation, 19 states already have a statewide ban or restriction of cell phone use in K-12 schools, according to the report.
Wisconsin law makers are currently under debate for a law that would adopt a policy prohibiting the use of cell phones during instructional time.
The bill has moved quickly. The Assembly passed it in mid-February, just weeks after lawmakers returned to the Capitol. Nearly every Republican voted for the bill and all Democrats voted against it. The bill now awaits a vote on the Senate floor before it heads to Gov. Tony Evers.
Other Midwest states, Iowa Gov. Kim Reynolds signed a law to ban cell phones for students during instructional time. Also, Illinois Gov. J.B. Prizker supports a ban of student cell phone usage in school.
Hope Karnopp contributed to this report.
This article originally appeared on Milwaukee Journal Sentinel: Cellphone bans in Wisconsin schools: What are district policies?