MADISON, Wis. — Republicans who control the Wisconsin Legislature want to ban phones and other electronic devices in K-12 classrooms.
Similar bans have been signed into law by both Democrats and Republicans in at least eight other states across the country.
The measure brought forward in Wisconsin earlier this month would require local school districts to create their own policies banning phones, laptops and gaming devices during instructional time with exceptions for electronics that are used for educational purposes and in cases of emergencies.
“We know it’s not going away, that this is not going to solve everything. Kids are still going to be getting on social media at night,” the proposal’s author, Republican Rep. Joel Kitchens, said. “But we really need to teach them to use it responsibly. So hopefully they can learn when to put it aside and concentrate on what you’re doing.”
Many schools across the state have policies in place restricting the use of smartphones and other devices in class, but Kitchens says those policies have been largely ineffective.
“It’s very difficult to enforce and most of those schools do not enforce it very well. So really, we mean this to be support for those schools,” he said.
Some Wisconsin schools have introduced phone bans only to roll them back after facing backlash from students and parents.
Watch: Wisconsin Republicans propose banning phones in school
“The policies that I’m seeing at other districts create conflict,” Zach Prideaux, a teacher at Saint Catherine’s High School in Racine, said. “You’re creating a scenario where you want teachers to take personal property from students. That’s not maybe a great idea.”
At Saint Catherine’s, a private, Catholic school, phones have been banned in the classroom since 2021. Students place their phones in magnetically locked pouches each morning and are only allowed to unlock them when the school day ends. Students and educators there say the policy has been working well.
“It’s almost like seeing a weight come off their shoulders,” Prideaux said. “For eight hours a day, they can just be kids.”
“It keeps me not distracted in class and like on task,” said Nolan Barber, a junior.
Currently, Kitchens and other Republicans are seeking more sponsors for the proposal. The state Department of Public Instruction declined to weigh in on the idea until it has been formally introduced as a bill. The governor’s office did not respond to an email seeking comment on the idea of banning electronics in the classroom.
“I think there will be support bipartisanly. I think the Department of Public Instruction will end up coming out in favor of it if it stays similar to where we are right now,” Kitchens said.
As the proposal is currently written, it would only apply to public schools, where school boards would enact restrictions. Kitchens said he hopes to amend the measure to expand it to schools that receive state funding through Wisconsin’s school choice programs.
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