Reynolds signs law restricting cellphone use in Iowa classrooms. What to know:

DES MOINES — Iowa students will be required to put away their cellphones in the classroom starting this fall under a bill signed into law Wednesday by Gov. Kim Reynolds.

House File 782 requires school districts, charter schools and innovation zone schools to adopt policies restricting cellphone use during instructional time. The state Department of Education will develop and distribute model policies as a base, though districts may choose to enact stricter policies.

The legislation was one of Reynolds’ priorities for this session of the Iowa Legislature. She argues it will decrease cyberbullying and classroom distractions, improve students’ concentration and address concerns about students’ mental health.

Several school districts across Iowa already have cellphone policies and restrictions in place, including the Ottumwa and Ankeny school districts and Hoover High School in Des Moines. Reynolds was flanked at a bill signing ceremony Wednesday by students from Ottumwa, Ankeny, Hoover and the Clarion-Goldfield-Dows school district.

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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 Community School District is researching cellphones in schools and potential policies, Superintendent Tawana Grover told The Gazette in February.

In Iowa, schools that have implemented cellphone policies have experienced fewer disruptive behaviors, including physical aggression, fewer instances of bullying — including social media-related conflicts — and also have seen increased student engagement and improved student and teacher morale, Reynolds said.

Des Moines’ Hoover High implemented a policy at the start of the school year restricting cellphones during class time. The policy has been linked to improved academic performance, including higher grades and a reduced failing rate, fewer out-of-school suspensions and increased school attendance, Reynolds said.

“Anecdotally, I was told that there's been a complete culture shift at Hoover this year — more joy, more camaraderie and much more learning,” the governor said.

Gabe Polich, a senior at Hoover, said he initially was displeased with the school’s cellphone policy but has since seen his grades improve “because I'm way less distracted.”

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“People talk to each other a lot more, and the students know each other's names as well as the teachers,” Polich said. “The teachers are more engaged because the students are paying more attention to them instead of their phones. It's also helped my mental health. Me and a lot of other students have been a lot happier this year without our phones, without people texting us in class. … I wasn't happy that they were taking away our cellphones, but now I can see that has really improved our school.”

The Ottumwa Community School District implemented a "bell to bell" cellphone ban, meaning students are required to store their phones in lockers when they arrive at school in the morning and must keep them in there until the final bell rings at the end of the day. Superintendent Mike McGrory said the results have been “profound” and “far exceeded our expectations.”

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With teachers no longer competing with cellphones for students’ attention, and because students are no longer distracted by everything happening on social media, students are able to fully engage and connect with their peers and their teachers and focus on learning, McGrory said.

That’s led to a drop in disciplinary referrals for disruptive behavior and fewer failing grades, he said.

“This bill will create learning environments in our schools that will allow our students to thrive by supporting their academic and social emotional success,” McGrory said. “So really, today, this bill, it's a win for students, it's a win for teachers, it's a win for families, and it's really a win for the future of education in Iowa.”

What the bill does

Reynolds’ bill sets a baseline requiring Iowa accredited private, public, charter and innovation zone schools to establish policies that at a minimum restrict the use of personal electronic devices during classroom instructional time, beginning with the 2025-26 school year. That includes smartphones, cellphones, video game devices and “portable media players.”

Schools could adopt more stringent policies if they choose.

The state Department of Education will provide sample policies for school districts to consider adopting. It also will provide guidance along with the Iowa Department of Public Safety to school districts to revise emergency operations plans to take into account the new policies.

Reynolds’ bill requires such policies create a way for parents or guardians to contact their child during school hours, at a school-sponsored activity or in an emergency. It also requires schools to develop protocols to "securely store a student's personal electronic device when such device is in possession of the school district.“

The legislation also would require school districts to spell out the discipline a student can receive for using a cellphone during class or a test.

English language learners and students with a documented disability or special education needs, as outlined in their Individualized Education Program, would be allowed to use personal electronic devices when necessary to manage their disability effectively or access specialized instruction or supports.

Parents or guardians of students also could petition a school district to allow the student to maintain access to their cellphone during the school day, if they can “establish that there is a legitimate reason related to the student’s physical or mental health.”

Comments: (319) 398-8499; tom.barton@thegazette.com