Following Iowa Gov. Kim Reynolds’ legislative priority, Iowa House lawmakers advanced a bill to regulate the use of cellphones in schools Tuesday afternoon.

House Study Bill 106 follows Reynolds’ proposal to mandate school districts ban cellphone use during “instructional time” at a minimum.

Under the bill, students would not be able to access “personal electronic devices,” including electronic communication equipment, mobile phones, smart phones, video game devices, and portable media players during instructional time. The legislation allows, and encourages, school districts to implement further restrictions.

The bill also addresses school safety plans and would require schools to provide instruction related to the effects of social media to students in grades six through eight.

The legislation requires Iowa’s Department of Education and Department of Public Safety to consult with schools to revise emergency operation plans to be consistent with the bill’s cellphone restrictions.

The bill also requires the director of the Iowa Department of Education, currently McKenzie Snow, to consult with the Iowa Department of Health and Human Services regarding the effects of social media and provide support to teachers and assist them in providing such instruction to students.

A Pew Research Center survey published in June 2024 found seven in 10 high school teachers say cellphone use is a major problem.

The bill would be effective starting next school year.

Molly Severn, legislative liaison for the governor, said a large number of Iowa school districts have already implemented restrictions on cellphones in the classroom, including Ottumwa Community School District.

Severn said the district enforced a “bell to bell” policy, requiring students to put their phones away for the entire school day. Since then, Severn reported the district has seen major improvements in students in grades eight through 12, including a 56 percent decrease in physical aggressions and a 52 percent reduction in classroom-managed behaviors.

Snow reported that 11-17-year-olds are estimated to use their cellphones during school 13 times a day on average. Snow pointed to data from Common Sense Media, a nonprofit organization that rates media and technology for children, which found that two-thirds of 11-17-year-olds say they sometimes or often find it difficult to stop using technology and use it as a relief from negative feelings.

“In Iowa, and across the nation, we see that schools implementing these cellphone policies have experienced fewer disruptive behaviors, including instances of physical aggression, fewer instances of bullying, including social media-related conflicts, increased student engagement, and improved teacher morale,” Snow said.

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Snow said the policy must establish parent-student communication methods during school hours, including during an emergency situation, as well as protocols for securely storing personal electronic devices. Snow also said the policy must establish a process through which parents can request students maintain access to their cellphone during the school day for legitimate reasons.

Lobbyists registered undecided, ask for a change in timeline of the bill

Emily Piper, a lobbyist for the Iowa Association of School Boards, said the organization is registered undecided on the bill because of the time frame of the enactment for adopting the policies.

Piper said for the remaining few school districts that do not have a cellphone restriction policy are going through a community, teacher, parent process, which is similar to what other districts have done. Piper also pointed out that the school districts that have already found and adopted a policy that works for them will have to go back through the process to update their policies.

“I’m not saying that [the governor’s] provisions are wrong, I’m just saying it would be helpful if we had a little more flexibility in terms of the enactment so that we can get that process done in a manner that works,” Piper said.

At the organization’s delegate assembly in November, Piper said of the two-thirds of the school districts represented, 85 percent of the districts present said they had already adopted a cellphone restriction policy.

Margaret Buckton with the Urban Education Network and Rural School Advocates of Iowa echoed Piper’s concerns about the timelines in the bill.

Buckton said the timelines in the bill are backward from the implementation and supports, and she recommended an amendment to change the dates. Buckton said if the amendment was adopted, both organizations would move from undecided to in support of the bill.

Jeff Smith with Community Colleges for Iowa said the organization is also registered undecided. Community colleges in the state offer dual enrollment courses, allowing students to receive both high school and college credit.

Smith said these programs require dual authentication, which often requires a cellphone. Smith asked the lawmakers to make considerations to ensure students still have the ability to take dual enrollment programs.

The bill was advanced by the panel of Iowa lawmakers and will advance to be heard by the entire House Education Committee.