Latest news with #HouseBill949
Yahoo
06-05-2025
- Politics
- Yahoo
Did cell phones get banned from Florida schools? What to know about the potential new law
Florida elementary and middle school students would be banned from using cell phones from "bell to bell" during the school day under a bill passed by the Florida Legislature along partisan lines on Friday, May 2. High school students would still be permitted to use them during instructional time, but House Bill 1105, an omnibus education bill composed of several previously filed initiatives, also creates a pilot program in six counties to test banning phone use during the entire school day there as well. In 2023, Florida became the first state to restrict students' cell phone use during class. Indiana and Ohio soon followed. Now, states are looking to block mobile phone use entirely, despite critics' concerns about emergencies — such as shootings — in school. Last week, Iowa Gov. Kim Reynolds signed a law similar to Florida's current rules, and New York is considering its own total ban. Does HB 1105 Education ban phones in Florida schools? If the bill goes into effect, elementary and middle school students may not use any wireless communications device during the school day. In high school, students would be permitted to use wireless communications devices outside of instructional time or if directed by a teacher solely for educational purposes, in an area the teacher designates. The bill does not say that students may not carry phones, only that they may not use them. Exemptions are included for students with medical requirements for the use of a wireless communications device "based on valid clinical reasoning or evidence." Meanwhile, the Department of Education is directed to select six school districts representing two small, two medium, and two large counties to enact a school phone ban. By the end of 2026, they must provide a report on the effects of a total phone and tablet ban on student achievement and behavior and create a model policy based on their findings that other school districts and charter schools in Florida can adopt. Students in those districts would not be permitted to use phones or personal electronic devices during the entire school day, while on school grounds, or while engaged in school activities off school grounds during the school day. The pilot program's report must also report on the number of violations that include phone use for illegal activities, bullying, harassment, threatening, cheating, or capturing or displaying images or video of a student during a medical issue or "engaged in misconduct." House education bill bans cell phone use, benefits charter schools The ban was initially the focus of House Bill 949, filed by Rep. Demi Busatta, R-Coral Gables, but that bill was postponed indefinitely last week when language from it was included in the omnibus education bill. HB 1105 also makes it easier to convert public schools into charter schools by putting the decision to convert solely in the hands of a majority of parents, without input from teachers or administrators. The bill also adds more benefits for charter schools, such as: Allowing municipalities to apply to convert existing public schools into job engine charter schools — privately run charter schools designed to attract "job-priducing entities" to the area by creating curricula aligned with their needs — if the school scores less than an "A" from the state for five years in a row Requiring school districts to share discretionary surtax revenue with charter schools Allowing some private schools to build new facilities without seeking rezoning or adhering to mitigation requirements A 2023 Pew Research Center analysis found that 72% of the high school teachers surveyed said cellphone usage in classrooms distracts students, although (unsurprisingly) 70% of students ages 13-17 said that phone use was generally more positive than negative and 45% said that smartphones benefited their educational experience. Nearly a quarter of the teens polled said phones made learning more difficult and 30% did not notice a difference. What states ban cell phone use in schools? Many other states, including California, Connecticut, Illinois, Iowa, Kansas, New Jersey, New York, Oklahoma, Texas, Washington, and Vermont have either considered or passed student phone use bans in the last couple of years. However, Arizona Gov. Katie Hobbs vetoed a phone ban last year, saying schools were already handling the issue on their own. According to the Pew study, in 2024, 82% of K-12 teachers in the U.S. said their school or district already had some sort of cellphone policy in place. Bans in other states range in severity, with some allowing phone use during lunch and in between classes. Some districts require students to bag their phones in sealed pouches or store them in lockers during school hours. Critics of student phone bans worry that in case of emergencies, including school shootings, immediate communication between students and parents or law enforcement is vital. 'A HUGE debate that comes up in our group is the fear of school shootings," said Jodie Sherrill, one of the main moderators in the Parenting in a Tech World forum. "Many parents argue they want their child to reach them in that tragic event; the parent wants to reach the child; perhaps they can help get them out, or even just to say 'I love you' one last time.' Phone bans: Do smartphone bans work if parents push back? When would the student phone ban in Florida take effect? If signed by Gov. Ron DeSantis or allowed to become law without his signature, the bill would take effect on July 1, 2025. This article originally appeared on Tallahassee Democrat: Florida bans student cell phone use, here's when and where
Yahoo
24-04-2025
- Politics
- Yahoo
I'm a mom. Florida lawmakers, DeSantis must ban cell phones in schools.
I am writing to you today as a parent, a chapter leader for MAMA (Mothers Against Media Addiction), and a member of the Distraction-Free Schools Policy Project to express my full support for House Bill 949 — the Wireless Communications Devices on School Grounds Act — which was passed unanimously by the House on April 16. I am asking the Senate Rules Committee to take this bill up now for a review. (The bill was received in the Rules Committee on Tuesday.) Cell phones do not belong in schools. They are an undeniable distraction, even outside of classroom instruction. Students come to school not only to learn academically, but to grow socially and emotionally — by engaging face-to-face, making eye contact, resolving conflicts, and yes, even learning through boredom. Instead, many will spend precious school hours browsing shopping sites, playing video games, watching pornography, and worse. According to the Seattle Children's Research Institute, adolescents ages 13–18 years spend 1.5 hours out of a 6.5-hour school day on their smartphones. That's nearly a quarter of the school day — and a quarter of our taxpayer-funded education — diverted to activities with no academic or developmental value. This is not just an issue of distraction. It is a misuse of public funding, and worse, a profound loss of learning opportunity. Florida has been a national leader in protecting children from online harm. From Gov. Ron DeSantis' critical decision to prioritize in-person learning during the COVID-19 pandemic, to supporting legislation like HB 379, which removed phones from classrooms during instruction, and HB 3, aimed at shielding children from pornographic content and harmful social media — Florida has consistently acted ahead of the curve. Passing HB 949 would build on this momentum, ensuring Florida students are not only safer but also better positioned to thrive academically and socially than their peers in states still allowing these constant distractions in schools. And in a crisis, experts state that students are safer listening to trained adults rather than reaching for their phones. A full school-day break from devices is necessary to allow students to be present and focused throughout the day. Opinion: Florida's future shouldn't be at the expense of wildlife. New bill honors both. The school environment when phones are allowed has grown silent, each child hunched over a glowing screen. In contrast, schools that implement full phone-free policies report more social interaction, improved classroom focus, and fewer disciplinary incidents. Teachers notice the difference, and over time, so do parents — often transitioning from initial hesitation to full support. To those who argue that students must "learn to manage" their devices: managing addiction is not a skill that can be taught. Smartphones and social media platforms are deliberately engineered to be addictive. Even tech executives (those who know the risks best) refuse to let their own children use these tools. Facebook whistleblower Sarah Wynn-Williams testified under oath that Silicon Valley executives ban screens in their own homes. If they won't expose their children to these products, why should we expose Florida's children during school hours? Let us also consider how phones intensify the emotional toll of adolescence. Imagine your worst day in middle or high school — embarrassed, awkward, maybe even bullied. Now imagine that moment recorded, uploaded, tagged and shared with the entire student body. That is a terrifying reality for today's students. Why are we arming them with surveillance tools — and permanent platforms for public shame — during the school day? School is not the place for social media rabbit holes, violent video streaming, or peer surveillance. It is a place for learning, growing, and becoming fully present in real life. If 23% of the school day is spent on phones, then 23% of our children's education — and our public investment — is lost to distraction, anxiety, and harm. Opinion: Palm Beach County out front using concierge care to fix broken health care system Let's follow the lead of the Florida districts already seeing success with bell-to-bell phone-free policies. Let's protect kids the way tech executives protect their own children. And let's ensure that every Florida student has the chance to focus, learn, and connect — without the shadow of a phone screen. I urge parents, educators, Florida senators and Gov. DeSantis to support HB 949. Our children deserve our protection. Jill Coleman is co-Chair of Mothers Against Media Addiction (MAMA) Palm Beach County. She is a resident of Palm Beach Gardens. This article originally appeared on Palm Beach Post: Florida schools should ban cell phones. Do it, DeSantis | Opinion
Yahoo
13-03-2025
- Politics
- Yahoo
Florida's school cell phone ban pushes boundaries with new legislation
TALLAHASSEE, Fla. (WFLA) — As more states follow in Florida's footsteps banning the use of cell phones in schools, state lawmakers in Tallahassee are continuing the conversation trying to take Florida's current ban one step in 2023, the legislature passed a bill that prohibited students from using cellphones at school during class time. That effort was spearheaded by State Senator Danny Burgess, (R-Zephyrhills), who now wants to examine the impact of phone-free school campuses on student behavior. Phones are distracting students. More states want schools to ban them Senate Bill 1296, aims to establish a pilot program in six Florida school districts that currently have or will be implementing a policy to prohibit the use of cell phones by students during the entire school day. That's not the only effort at the statehouse being taken up on this issue. To further address distracted learning, lawmakers are pushing to ban students from using their cell phones from the start of the day until the end. 'Cell phones not only cause constant distractions to a student's focus during the school day, which impedes their ability to learn, but it also has shown to increase bullying throughout the school day,' said State Rep. Demi Busatta, (R-Coral Gables). Busatta wants to build off of current Florida law with House Bill 949. The bill prohibits students from using wireless communication devices during the school day, rather than just during instruction time. 'It also requires schools to designate locations within the school building where students can use their cell phones with permission of a school administrator,' Busatta said. The bill, which just passed out of its first committee, has already rallied up support.'In my district, we've had two schools who implemented on their own a no cell phone policy during the day and it has done remarkable,' said State Rep. Susan Valdes, (R-Tampa). But even with the bill getting a green light, not everyone is sold. 'Things have changed because of school lockdowns and school shootings, I do have concerns if this ever were to go a step further in terms of the pouches where students wouldn't have access at all to their cell phones,' said State Rep. Lavon Bracy Davis, (D-Ocoee). However, despite those concerns, both Republicans and Democrats voted in favor of the bill moving forward. State Representative Dianne Hart, (D-Tampa) shared with 8 On Your Side that she sees both sides of the argument and wants to go back to her district and speak with parents and constituents to hear their thoughts on the issue. 'It does frighten me that kids cannot have their phones, but I can tell you that these children are so distracted by these telephones and that concerns me,' Hart said. 'That you're not learning because you're constantly playing with your phone.' Copyright 2025 Nexstar Media, Inc. All rights reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten, or redistributed.
