Latest news with #JoelKitchens
Yahoo
28-02-2025
- Politics
- Yahoo
Republicans want to ban cell phones in classrooms. Do 90% of districts already do that?
When the state Legislature kicked off a new session in 2025, one of the first areas of focus for Republicans was education. Bills recently passed by the state Assembly — one step toward reaching the governor's desk — included reversing changes to test score benchmarks and requiring cursive and civics to be taught in schools. Another bill would require school boards to adopt a policy by July 2026 that prohibits students from using cellphones during instructional time. At a Feb. 19, 2025 press conference before his bill passed the Assembly, state Rep. Joel Kitchens, a Republican from Sturgeon Bay, said '90% of the (school) districts in Wisconsin already have a policy' like the one the bill requires. During floor debate on the bill, Democrats argued the bill would take away local control from school boards. Kitchens has pushed back on that idea. 'What we really need here is a unified approach,' Kitchens said at the press conference. 'We are saying to the school districts that we're standing with you on this, because everyone agrees this is a problem.' The 90% figure caught our attention, especially when there's so much debate over a policy that might already be par for the course in most school districts. Is it true that the vast majority of Wisconsin school districts already ban cellphones during class time? Let's take a look. PolitiFact Wisconsin reached out to Kitchens' office to ask where the 90% number came from. They pointed us to the Department of Public Instruction's testimony during a Feb. 11 public hearing for the bill. The department referenced its annual Digital Learning Survey. About 320 of the 421 public school districts in Wisconsin participated in the voluntary survey for the 2024-25 school year, officials said. Approximately 90% of districts that took part in the survey 'already have some sort of restrictive cellphone policy in place,' according to the department. Fewer than 10% of districts did not have a cellphone policy and left it up to teachers to decide how to manage cellphone use in their classrooms, the survey found. While about a quarter of school districts did not participate in the survey, the 75% who did respond still represent the vast majority of districts in Wisconsin. While the 90% number is solid, it's quite vague when referring to school districts having 'some sort of restrictive cell phone policy.' The results of the Digital Learning Survey drills down into that 90% number. Of that 90% total, about 26% of districts allow high school students to use cellphones in common areas but not classrooms. About 44% of districts apply that policy for middle schoolers, along with high school students. And around 21% of districts have a full cellphone ban at all schools. In its testimony, DPI noted cellphone policies 'vary significantly.' 'In general, middle and high schools tend to have some form of restriction, while elementary schools usually enforce a 'no phones during the day' policy,' DPI said. The Milwaukee Journal Sentinel also reported a sampling of districts' cellphone policies at the beginning of the 2024-25 school year. Some schools require students to place cellphones in caddies before the start of class. Many districts allow students to use devices outside of class, like during passing time and lunch. The bill also requires cellphone policies to have exceptions, allowing students to use phones during emergencies and threats, for example, or to manage their health care. Kitchens, in his own testimony, said the bill was written 'as open as possible' and that each district will determine how to best restrict phones and enforce it. Kitchens said '90% of the (school) districts in Wisconsin already have a policy' that bans cellphones during instructional time. The Department of Public Instruction cited that 90% figure when testifying about Kitchens' bill that would require districts to have that policy. While specific policies vary by district, that 90% figure includes districts that either fully ban cellphones in schools or prohibit them in classrooms. We rate his claim True. Milwaukee Journal Sentinel, Assembly lawmakers vote to reverse state report card changes, Feb. 19, 2025. WisEye, Assembly News Conference: Republicans Pre-Session, Feb. 19, 2025. Email exchange, Bob Delaporte, spokesman for Rep. Joel Kitchens, Feb. 25, 2025. Department of Public Instruction, 2025 AB2 Testimony, Feb. 11, 2025. Department of Public Instruction, 2024-25 WI Digital Learning Survey Results. Milwaukee Journal Sentinel, Students in Wisconsin schools might want to think twice before pulling out their cellphones. Some districts are limiting their use., Sept. 10, 2024. Rep. Joel Kitchens, AB2 Testimony, Feb. 11, 2025. This article originally appeared on Milwaukee Journal Sentinel: Do 90% of Wisconsin school districts ban cell phones during class?
Yahoo
12-02-2025
- Politics
- Yahoo
Republican lawmakers propose cell phone bans in schools
Rep. Joel Kitchens (R-Sturgeon Bay) speaks about the cell phone ban bill. Screenshot via WisEye. Republican lawmakers made the case Tuesday for a state law that would require school districts to implement a policy banning cell phones and other devices from classrooms as a way to improve students' focus and performance. The bill — AB 2 — would require school districts to adopt a policy that 'generally prohibits pupils from using wireless communication devices during instructional time.' The policies would need to include certain exceptions in emergencies, cases involving student's health care, individualized education program (IEP) or 504 plan and for educational purposes. Under the bill, the policies would need to be adopted by July 2026. Wireless communication devices are defined as a 'portable wireless device that is capable of providing voice, messaging or other data communication between two or more parties' and explicitly includes cell phones, tablet computers, laptop computers and gaming devices. Rep. Joel Kitchens (R-Sturgeon Bay) and Sen. Rachael Cabral-Guevara (R-Appleton) said the policy would be beneficial to students and though many schools already have some, the statewide policy is needed to put enforcement power behind school districts. 'Phones can be a distraction for all of us, but it's even worse for students,' Kitchens said during a Tuesday hearing in the Assembly Science, Technology, and AI committee. 'The interruptions and the pressures of social media are detrimental to children's mental health as well as to their education.' According to DPI's 2024-25 State Digital Learning survey approximately 90% of districts already have some sort of restrictive cell phone policy in place. About 320 out of the 421 public districts in Wisconsin participated in the survey. 'The problem is enforcement without a strong unified approach to the problem. Most teachers eventually throw up their hands… By applying the power of state law behind these restrictions, we're giving support to our schools,' Kitchens said. 'This is not something we are doing to the school districts, [it's] something we're doing with them.' Kitchens said that the law will not 'usurp' local control as each district will be able to determine its own policy. He said an amendment to the bill was drafted to clarify that schools can also ban devices throughout the entire day, including lunch. 'We deliberately drafted the bill to be as open as possible,' Kitchens said. Kitchens noted that much resistance to the policies comes from concerns parents have about being able to reach their children during the day. 'If they're only banned during class time, they can still reach them between classes. Schools will write their own policy on how they can be reached in case of emergency,' Kitchens said. According to the Education Commission of the States, several states across the country, including Ohio, California, Florida, have similar statewide policies. 'The results of cell phone bans in schools have been universally positive in the U.S and across the world,' Kitchens said. 'In Orlando, schools report that students are more engaged with less bullying and early reports show a dramatic improvement in test scores.' Democrats on the committee were skeptical about the need for a state law addressing the issue, given that many school districts already have policies in place restricting cell phone use for students. Rep. Ben DeSmidt (D-Kenosha) said the bill could create confusion and complication for school districts that already have policies in place. 'If we're just going to muddy the waters with this, and the problem is already being dealt with by school boards… Why don't we trust those local electeds? Why are we challenging their authority?' DeSmidt asked the bill authors. Kitchens said that the intention isn't to create confusion, but to provide enforcement mechanisms and provide cover to school districts when dealing with parents. DPI Assistant State Superintendent Josh Robinson and Policy Initiatives Advisor Sara Knueve testified at the hearing and made some recommendations for how to make it more effective. Robinson said the bill gets to the 'heart of' the idea of engagement. He said technology 'is here to stay' and educators are responsible for ensuring students have the 'digital learning skills necessary to compete and thrive in society.' On the other hand, he said DPI understands that there is a need to 'mitigate the negative impact' devices can have on students' mental health and learning. Knueve noted that cell phone policies in schools vary greatly. 'In general, middle and high schools tend to have some form of restriction, while elementary schools usually enforce a 'no phones during the day' policy. To manage devices, some schools use strategies like 'phone hotels' or caddies for storage,' Knueve said. Robinson called the goal of limiting technology disruptions during classroom time 'wise,' but had a few recommendations for how to change the proposed legislation. Instead of starting with an outright ban of all devices, the agency suggested setting a statewide policy goal of restricting non-district-issued electronic devices and leaving the local implementation of the policy up to each district. One of the specific suggestions was to require each school board to develop and adopt a policy that limits or prohibits pupils' use of electronic communication devices during instructional time and also articulates specific times that the district cannot prohibit use of devices. DPI also recommends that the bill update or repeal a current state statute, so there is no conflict. Wisconsin Statute 118.258 already states that each school board may, but isn't required to, adopt policies prohibiting students from using electronic communication devices on premises owned, rented or under the control of a public school. Finally, DPI said the bill should be changed to make a clear distinction between non-district-issued wireless communication devices and district-issued wireless communication devices. SUBSCRIBE: GET THE MORNING HEADLINES DELIVERED TO YOUR INBOX
