The new law will require public school districts and charter schools across the state to adopt policies that limit student access to cellphones. Exemptions will be made for emergencies, medical conditions, and “educational purposes.”
“Education requires attention, and attention is exactly what today’s students are being robbed of by addictive devices and endless scrolling,” Republican State Rep. Beverly Pingerelli said.
The law came months after Arizona Superintendent of Public Instruction Tom Horne detailed a plan to ban cellphones in classrooms.
“Imagine being a teacher and trying to teach a class while students were scrolling on their cellphones. That this has been permitted is outrageous,” Horne said at a news conference last year. “It decreases student learning significantly and makes life hard for teachers who already have heavy burdens. No teacher should have to compete against phones for the attention of students.”
Hobbs vetoed a similar bill last year that would have created state-wide rules regarding cellphones and other electronic devices in schools. At the time, she said it was unnecessary and that schools were doing enough to address the matter.
Other states have enacted similar measures to curb cellphone use in classrooms. Florida was the first to do so in 2023.
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A 2023 Pew Research survey found that 72% of high school teachers believe cellphone distraction is a major problem in their classrooms.
According to Arizona state law, the law will take effect 90 days after this year’s legislative session concludes.
This article was originally published at www.washingtonexaminer.com
