Cellphone ban bill passed by TN House, now advances to Senate

UPDATE: The Tennessee Senate has passed the bill and now it is heading to Governor Bill Lee’s desk. If it is signed into law, the bill will take effect starting July 1.

JACKSON, Tenn. — A new bill has passed the Tennessee House of Representatives to prohibit cellphone usage during student instruction.

House Bill 932, sponsored by Republican Rebecca Alexander of Jonesborough, restricts student cellphone use during instructional time.

Electronics can be distracting to students and teachers during lessons.

We spoke with Tanya T. Coats, president of the Tennessee Education Association, who shares opinions of several educators across the state.

“As I travel across the state with educators and hear from them, that they overwhelmingly support this House Bill 932, which requires school boards to adopt a policy that will limit the disruption to students learning caused by the cellphone devices,” said Coats.

Educators also shared they want the time to have the freedom to teach in their classrooms without distractions or interruptions.

“They’re equally committed to providing high-quality instruction and ensuring safe environments, which is why at the Tennessee Education Association we are pleased to see this house bill is not just an outright ban for cellphones, but it’s a step in the right direction,” said Coats.

The goal is for educators, families and local school boards to work collaboratively to ensure that any policy mandated by this bill will limit disruptions to learning without leading to unintended safety concerns.

“There are some concerns that this bill is not going to address because it’s not an outright ban on cellphones. And so that’s what we want parents to understand, as well as the community, that the house bill is only just requiring the districts to come up with a policy, and that they have an opportunity now to call their school boards and address their safety concerns,” said Coats.

The bill has moved to the Senate, and a final vote is expected Thursday, March 6.

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