Kentucky lawmakers are considering a bill for schools to ban cellphone use during class.
The bill’s sponsor, Republican state Rep. Josh Bray, and others advanced the bill on Tuesday as a push to limit digital distractions in the classroom across the Bluegrass State.
House Bill 383 would mandate school boards to adopt policies that prohibit students from using their phones during class unless there is an emergency, phones are necessary for instruction, or they have permission for special education purposes.
“We can’t teach kids that are distracted,” said Bray, who intentionally left out disciplinary action in the House bill, leaving those decisions for local officials.
Bray said he was inspired to sponsor the bill after speaking with a concerned teacher.
Although some schools have similar policies in place, Bray says a push for a statewide restriction legitimizes the state’s intention to deal with the matter.
Democratic state Rep. Tina Bojanowski suggested the bill include a ban on subtle wireless headphones such as Apple AirPods “because a student may not look like they’re on their phone, but they’re tuned out,” she said. Bray said he may consider the addition to the bill.
Other lawmakers said the bill could help with students’ mental health. Bray said he also thinks the bill will help school staff members.
“It gives the teacher the support in the classroom because now the administration has to have their back,” Bray said.
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“This is not going to be as easy as it sounds,” Republican state Rep. Steve Riley said on Tuesday. “In many ways, this is going to be a bloody bath for teachers.”
The bill passed smoothly through the House Education Committee with bipartisan support and is on its way to the full House. Florida and Tennessee have passed similar laws.
