Latest news with #SenateBill2354
Yahoo
14-05-2025
- Politics
- Yahoo
Students full of questions about cellphone ban in North Dakota schools
Members of the Superintendent of Public Instruction's Student Cabinet discuss a new law banning student cellphone use in North Dakota public schools on May 14, 2025. (Michael Achterling/North Dakota Monitor) North Dakota student leaders say they have a lot of unanswered questions after lawmakers passed a law requiring schools to be cellphone-free. Members of the Superintendent of Public Instruction's Student Cabinet met Wednesday in Bismarck to discuss new legislation that will affect students. Senate Bill 2354, which takes effect Aug. 1, prohibits public school students from having access to cellphones and other electronic devices in school from 'bell to bell.' But the students raised a lot of questions lawmakers may not have considered. Some students said laptops provided by schools are 'horrible' and wondered if they could continue using personal laptops to do school work. Another student said she views digital versions of her textbooks on a tablet so she doesn't have to carry heavy textbooks all day. Yet another student said she'll miss using her phone to access the digital calendar she uses to keep track of homework, after-school practices and appointments. 'I see a lot of uncertainties with a lot of the exceptions the students were bringing up,' said Bridger Rivinius, a junior at Gackle-Streeter Public School. 'I feel like it might be a slight overreach for the state government to have to be involved with that.' Gov. Kelly Armstrong was among the supporters of the bill. He has said it will help the next generation of students emotionally and academically. Gov. Armstrong advocates for eliminating student cellphone use in public schools The law requires cellphones to be silenced and stowed away in an inaccessible location during the school day. It gives school boards flexibility to craft their own policies around school-related noninstructional time, such as dances and sporting events. It also mandates that school districts collect data to measure the impact of the new policy on student behavior, mental health, disciplinary incidents, school attendance and academic performance. Gwyn Marback, a facilitator for the student Cabinet, said she expects there will be some 'fumbles' as school boards try to address issues with their new policies. 'They (state lawmakers) didn't think of everything,' Marback said. 'Hopefully, there's common sense when things arise.' Sophia Johnson, a sophomore at Bismarck Legacy High School, said her school has an open campus policy that allows students to leave school during lunch or a free period, which could be an issue in implementing the policy at her school. 'It might be a bit of a disaster,' Johnson said. 'We have the open campus and we really want to focus on the 21st Century learning and that involves using our phones.' She said some courses, such as media class, require students to use their phones to participate. 'All of that stuff is going to be really inhibited by this,' Johnson said. 'It really should be up to the teachers because they know their students the best. They know what's happening in their classrooms and they know how to work their students.' Aidan Pelton, a senior at Watford City High School, said his school already implemented a zero tolerance cellphone policy. He said kids still have their phones in school, but fewer than before the policy was implemented. 'I like the bill. I just think there's going to be a lot of problems with it,' Pelton said. 'I don't really love the less control at the school level. But, I think it is overall a good thing to have no phones in schools.' Addyson Rademacher-Nyame, an eighth grader at Mandan Middle School, testified in favor of the legislation at the Capitol. She said she finds it encouraging that each school board will be able to craft its own policy. 'It's going to be very interesting, especially this first try. It's going to be good to see the positive and negative results of it right away,' Rademacher-Nyame said. She said legislative fixes might be needed during the 2027 session to address problems that arise from implementing the bill. 'Every school in North Dakota is different,' she said. 'I want to see every angle about how every school developed and adapted to this bill and we'll go from there.' SUPPORT: YOU MAKE OUR WORK POSSIBLE SUBSCRIBE: GET THE MORNING HEADLINES DELIVERED TO YOUR INBOX
Yahoo
25-04-2025
- Politics
- Yahoo
Gov. Armstrong signs bill banning public school student cellphone use in North Dakota
North Dakota Gov. Kelly Armstrong gives a student the pen he used to sign a bill establishing cellphone-free public schools during a signing ceremony April 25, 2025, at Bismarck's Centennial Elementary. He was joined by first lady Kjersti Armstrong. (Photo provided by governor's office) North Dakota Gov. Kelly Armstrong went to a Bismarck elementary school Friday to sign a bill banning public school student cellphone use from 'bell to bell.' 'This is a game changer for our public schools, giving students the freedom to focus on learning and to interact with teachers and friends without the constant tug of their cell phones and addictive social media,' Armstrong said in a statement. House Bill 1160 would require public school districts to have policies requiring student cellphones be silenced and locked away during the entire school day on school grounds. The devices, including bluetooth-enabled devices, tablets, smartwatches or other wearable devices and gaming devices, must be stored in a lockable pouch, phone locker or other inaccessible locations. The law allows students to use their phones while privately traveling to an off-site educational location, such as a career and technology center. It also allows school districts to craft their own cellphone-use policy during school-related noninstructional time, such as bus rides, field trips, sporting events and school dances. Student cellphone bills pass North Dakota Legislature; bell-to-bell ban comes back Students with medical needs that require an electronic monitoring device and students participating in individual education programs may be exempted from the law. School districts will also be required to collect data and compile a report on the impact of its cellphone policies on student behavior, mental health, disciplinary incidents, school attendance and academic performance during the interim. State Superintendent Kirsten Baesler said teachers have told her that student mental health challenges have become more 'overwhelming.' 'This law gives students the gift of attention, connection, and presence. We are removing the constant pull of comparison and distraction and replacing it with space to learn and grow,' Baesler said in a statement. The new law will go into effect Aug. 1. Lawmakers also are considering Senate Bill 2354, which would also restrict student cellphone use in private schools. The bill is being debated in a conference committee between the House and Senate. The next committee meeting is scheduled for Monday morning. SUPPORT: YOU MAKE OUR WORK POSSIBLE SUBSCRIBE: GET THE MORNING HEADLINES DELIVERED TO YOUR INBOX
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
04-04-2025
- Politics
- Yahoo
Bill to ban student cellphone use fails in ND Senate; House expected to take up issue Monday
Sen. Paul Thomas, R-Velva, speaks on the Senate floor on April 4, 2025. (Michael Achterling/North Dakota Monitor) A bill prohibiting cellphone use by North Dakota students during the school day failed Friday in the Senate on a 26-19 vote. House Bill 1160, sponsored by Rep. Jim Jonas. R-West Fargo, would have prohibited student cellphone use from 'bell-to-bell,' including class time and unstructured time in between classes for the entire school day. It would cover cellphones, bluetooth-enabled devices, smart watches and other wearable devices capable of voice, text and other data transfers between students. Students would also have been required to store their devices in a locked box or pouch so they would remain inaccessible in between classes. Gov. Kelly Armstrong advocated for the elimination of student cellphone use during the school day during the committee hearing. He argued getting rid of the devices would improve students' mental health and academic performance. Gov. Armstrong advocates for eliminating student cellphone use in public schools Sen. Mike Wobbema, R-Valley City, supported the bill on the floor. He said school districts that have implemented a school day ban on phone use reported increased social interaction, more participation in club activities, improvement in academic performance and the return of conversational noise in the hallways. 'It is past time that we throw our young students a lifeline and put in place the tools to rescue them from the addiction of social media and other screen applications,' Wobbema said. Sen. Paul Thomas, R-Velva, who voted against the bill, said school districts can already implement bans on phone use during the school day. 'We have communities that don't allow cellphones in their schools and it's working quite well,' Thomas said. 'My concern here is, if I was a school board member, I would vote for this. As a legislator, I don't think it's our role to tell the school boards what to do.' Senate Bill 2354 included the same language as the bill that failed in the Senate. But Rep. Dori Hauck, R-Hebron, a member of the House Education Committee, said the committee amended that version to include more flexibility for school boards. The amended Senate bill would allow students to use their phones on field trips and only require them to be stowed away during instructional time, not stored in a lock box or pouch during the school day. She said the bill would also give school boards the power to limit or allow student phone use outside of instructional time, such as in between classes or over lunch. 'It gives the school districts a little bit more flexibility on what they can and can't do and they get to make the choice, rather than us making the choice for them,' Hauck said. The House is expected to vote on that bill on Monday. One of the younger members of the Legislature, 26-year-old Sen. Claire Cory, R-Grand Forks, said she was able to use a cellphone with no restrictions while she was in high school. She voted against the measure because she believes the issue was best left up to local school boards. 'It's not up to the state to control the local policies so I'd hope the school boards would come in with their individual policies on what works best for their schools,' Cory said. 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
