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Yahoo
07-04-2025
- Politics
- Yahoo
Student cellphone bills pass North Dakota Legislature; bell-to-bell ban comes back
Gov. Kelly Armstrong speaks during a press conference on banning student cellphone use in North Dakota on March 26, 2025. (Michael Achterling/North Dakota Monitor) North Dakota lawmakers passed bills Monday that would prohibit student cellphone use during the school day, reviving one bill that had been defeated last week. Senate Bill 2354 and House Bill 1160 differ on which schools would be affected and whether school districts would have the power to allow cellphone use during noninstructional time, such as in between classes or over the school lunch period. The bills are expected to have their differences ironed out in conference committees, each made up of three legislators from each chamber. Senate Bill 2354 passed the House on a 61-29 vote. The Senate bill, amended by the House Education Committee, would require all schools, public and private, to follow the statewide student cellphone ban. The House bill would only affect public school students. Under the Senate bill, students would be allowed to stow their phones in their lockers while turned off, or on silent, instead being secured in a lockbox or lockable pouch purchased by the school district. School boards would also have the ability to create their own cellphone policies for student-use during noninstructional time under the Senate bill. The House bill would ban the use of the devices from 'bell to bell.' Rep. Anna Novak, R-Hazen, voted in favor of the Senate bill and said limiting cellphone use would have a positive impact on the mental health of students 'Each school district knows what's best for their respective schools and should be allowed to tailor their own policy based on their school's needs as long as it fits in the parameters of this bill,' Novak said. Bill to ban student cellphone use fails in ND Senate; House expected to take up issue Monday Rep. Daniel Johnston, R-Kathryn, said he voted against the bill because it regulates private schools the same as public schools. 'We should limit it to public school,' Johnston said. Both bills allow students access to their phones while traveling between learning sites, such as career and technical academies. The bills also require school districts to collect data on their cellphone policies to judge the impact on student behavior, mental health, disciplinary incidents, school attendance and academic performance. The districts will report the data to the Department of Public Instruction, which will be compiled into an annual report. Sen. Michelle Axtman, R-Bismarck, requested a revote in the Senate after missing Friday's vote where the House bill failed. She said if local school districts had been more proactive on phone policies, the bill would not have been necessary. She said passing it would be 'one of the most impactful things we do for teacher retention in North Dakota.' The bill passed the Senate on a 42-4 reconsidered vote. Sen. Mark Enget, R-Powers Lake, was among those who switched their vote from no to yes. He said he felt school districts in his part of the state had done a good job managing phone use, but also learned that's not the case statewide. SUPPORT: YOU MAKE OUR WORK POSSIBLE SUBSCRIBE: GET THE MORNING HEADLINES DELIVERED TO YOUR INBOX
Yahoo
27-03-2025
- Health
- Yahoo
Gov. Armstrong advocates for eliminating student cell phone use in public schools
Gov. Kelly Armstrong speaks during a press conference on banning student cell phone use in North Dakota on March 26, 2025. (Michael Achterling/North Dakota Monitor) Gov. Kelly Armstrong showed up at two committee hearings and held a press conference Wednesday to advocate for eliminating student cell phone use in North Dakota public schools. Identical amendments replacing most of the bill text were presented to both the Senate and House Education Committees during hearings on Senate Bill 2354 and House Bill 1160, both of which attempt to address student cell phone use during the school day. 'Bringing a substantial policy change like this after crossover as an amendment is not something we take lightly,' Armstrong said during a media availability following the hearings. 'We need to get cell phones out of schools.' Armstrong said it could be the most impactful thing lawmakers do during a legislative session for the mental health and well-being of students even with a large focus on property tax relief. 'This is absolutely something we can do to help teachers, to help school systems and to help students,' he said. 'This will help the next generation of North Dakota leaders be better leaders. It'll help them physically. It'll help them emotionally, and it'll help them academically.' The bill would prohibit student cell phone use from 'bell-to-bell,' including class time and unstructured time in between classes for the entire school day. It would cover cell phones, bluetooth-enabled devices, smart watches and other wearable devices capable of voice, text and other data transfers between students. Students must turn off their devices and store them in a locked, secure area during school hours. School districts would also have the ability to limit cell phone use during school-related activities, such as bus rides, field trips and after-school activities. Students would be able to contact a parent or caregiver by using a school phone. The bill also includes exemptions to the policy for those with medical conditions that require the use of a device to monitor a condition, and students under individual education or rehabilitation plans. Private school students would not be subject to the law. Lt. Gov. Michelle Strinden testified in favor of the bill, saying she wants to give North Dakota students the ability to learn and grow without the mental health challenges and distractions that smartphones provide. 'We need a course correction, and we need it now,' Strinden said. 'Senate Bill 2354, as amended, is an urgent policy, and we can't wait two years to debate the need for it.' She added young girls are struggling with self-image and confidence issues, which is why eliminating phone usage during the school day is necessary — to grant a temporary reprieve for those kids. Sen. Michelle Axtman, R-Bismarck, presented the amendment to the House Education Committee. She said she mentioned the phone-free schools bill to members of the girl's golf team that she coaches, and one of the students said they would be bored without their phone. 'I said, 'Thank you so much. That is why I'm doing it,'' Axtman said. 'I'm hoping that instead of being bored they turn their attention to each other and their class work.' Jeff Fastnacht, superintendent of Bismarck Public Schools, told lawmakers that his district would be able to implement the policy if it was signed into law during the 2025-26 school year. Armstrong said up to $1.5 million could be attached to the bill as an appropriation to reimburse school districts for lockable devices to store phones during the school day. Both the Senate and House Education Committees took no immediate action on the legislation. SUPPORT: YOU MAKE OUR WORK POSSIBLE SUBSCRIBE: GET THE MORNING HEADLINES DELIVERED TO YOUR INBOX
