Iowa Gov. Reynolds proposes restrictions for cellphone use in classrooms

DES MOINES — Iowa Gov. Kim Reynolds released her proposal to state lawmakers Friday to ban cellphone use in Iowa classrooms.

The proposed legislation would require school districts restrict cellphone use for K-12 students. At a minimum, schools would be required to ban cellphone use during instructional time.

Backers of cellphone bans in schools argue they help improve students’ concentration, decrease cyberbullying, and address concerns about students’ mental health.

Reynolds first proposed the policy in her Condition of the State address earlier this month, citing concerns over cellphones being distractions to students in classrooms.

“Cellphones are not only a distraction but a deterrent to development in the classroom,” Reynolds said in a news release. “Seven in 10 high school teachers say smartphones are a major problem and 80 percent of Gen Z students spend over six hours per day on their phone. Let’s return the classroom to a place for learning, growth and connection to give students their best chance at success.”

Eight states had banned cellphones in classrooms as of Dec. 13, according to KFF, a nonprofit health care news and advocacy organization. The states with statewide bans on phones in the classroom are Minnesota, Florida, Indiana, Ohio, Virginia, South Carolina, Louisiana and California, according to KFF.

  Buy Photo

Several school districts across Iowa already have cellphone policies and restrictions in place, including the Ottumwa, Ankeny and Ames school districts. In December, the Iowa City school board approved a cellphone policy that requires phones, earbuds and headphones to be “detached from the student’s body” during instructional time.

The Cedar Rapids district also is researching cellphones in schools and potential policies, Superintendent Tawana Grover told The Gazette.

Under the proposed legislation — the full language of which has not been released — all Iowa school districts would be required to adopt by July 1, 2025, minimum standards for restrictions on personal electronic devices.

The legislation also would require training for sixth through eighth grade students on the “effects of social media."

Reynolds’ proposal has already seen some support from Republicans, including House Speaker Pat Grassley, R-New Hartford, who noted it's something his party is interested in looking at this session.

“Having that minimum standard, I agree with her that that is the route that we should go, and I think that's something that we'll be able to see support for in the House,” Grassley told reporters after Reynolds’ Condition of the State address on Jan. 14.

House Education Committee Chair Skyler Wheeler, R-Hull, said House Republicans look forward to discussing the issue.

“We want to make sure we discuss this with all stakeholders, including parents, and ensure the learning environment is as focused on education as possible,” Wheeler said in a statement.

House Minority Leader Jennifer Konfrst, D-Windsor Heights, expressed concern over the proposed policy, saying she would rather leave the decision up to individual school districts to do what works best for them.

“I don't want distracted students in classrooms either, but I really don't want teachers to have one more thing to have to do and now they have to police cellphone usage in addition to the other things we've asked them to do,” Konfrst said on this weekend’s episode of “Iowa Press” on Iowa PBS. “If we can allow local districts to make these decisions, they have proven to us that they can do it in a way that is best for their community and I think that is the best way to do it.”