Iowa Gov. Reynolds to pitch barring students from having cellphones in classrooms

DES MOINES — Iowa K-12 students would be barred from having their cellphones in the classroom under a proposal that Iowa Gov. Kim Reynolds plans to present to state lawmakers.

Reynolds mentioned her proposal Thursday during an interview with the Gray TV stations’ Washington, D.C. bureau.

“Gov. Reynolds believes Iowa students deserve the opportunity to learn free from the distraction of personal electronic devices. Iowa kids should have the freedom to focus and be fully engaged in their education,” Reynolds’ spokesman, Mason Mauro, said in an email Friday night.

Proponents of such bans say they prevent students from being distracted during school instruction time and also help address concerns about students’ mental health.

Eight states had banned cellphones in classrooms as of Nov. 4, 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.

Another 12 states — including Iowa — have introduced legislation that would ban or restrict cellphone use in classrooms, and education departments in nine more states have recommended policies or pilot programs designed to ban or restrict cellphones in schools, according to KFF.

It is unclear whether state lawmakers would support a ban on cellphones in the classroom, even with Reynolds’ fellow Republicans holding majorities in both chambers of the Iowa Legislature.

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State Sen. Ken Rozenboom, a Republican from Pella who chairs the Senate’s Education Committee, said he has not considered introducing a ban on cellphones in classrooms, nor has anyone contacted him about the issue.

“I believe cellphone usage is a very significant problem in our schools, but I’m not convinced that this is something that should be governed by the state,” Rozenboom said.

A spokeswoman for Iowa House Republicans pointed to legislation considered in that chamber during the 2024 session that would have required school districts to adopt a policy that restricts the use of cellphones during classroom instruction, but did not ban phones from the classroom. That bill did not advance far enough to be passed into law.

Melissa Saitz, the spokeswoman for Iowa House Republicans, said she believes the topic will come up during the 2025 legislative session, and that House Republicans will be seeking feedback from Iowans on the topic.

She said it is too early to say whether House Republicans will support a full ban on phones in the classroom, but it will “definitely be a discussion” during the session.

“We have heard from so many teachers that cellphones are a huge distraction preventing kids from learning,” Saitz said.

A spokeswoman for the Iowa State Education Association, the statewide union that represents public schoolteachers, said the union will not comment at this time since there is not yet a “specific proposal.”

The 2025 session of the Iowa Legislature begins Jan. 13. Gov. Kim Reynolds likely will give her annual Condition of the State address on Jan. 14.

What Eastern Iowa schools are doing about phones in classrooms

Many Eastern Iowa schools are exploring policies about cellphones in the classroom, mirroring a national trend of school districts and states restricting students’ cellphone use in schools.

Hillcrest Academy, a private school in Kalona, is one of the first Iowa districts to become phone-free this academic year to reduce distractions in the classroom and out of concerns for students’ mental health.

The Cedar Rapids, Iowa City and College Community school districts are researching the presence of cellphones in schools and potential policies.

Grace King of The Gazette contributed to this report.

Comments: (515) 355-1300, erin.murphy@thegazette.com

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