Already some Texas school districts, like Houston ISD, ban phones during class, but the legislation from Sen. Lois Kolkhorst, R-Brenham, and Rep. Cecil Bell, R-Magnolia, would require every school district to have a policy to force students to put cell phones in storage lockers for the duration of the school day.
Students who violate the policy could have their phones confiscated and charged up to $30 to get them back.
Their proposals come just months after Texas Education Commissioner Mike Morath told the Texas Senate that "if it were in my power, I would have already banned them in all schools in the state."
The Legislature's 140-day session just began, so it's a long way from the legislation becoming law. But it's coming at a time of increasing national momentum on the issue. Louisiana in August began banning cell phone use statewide "from bell to bell." And in Arkansas Gov. Sarah Huckabee Sanders used her State of the State Address to call for a similar ban.
Sanders said beyond being a distraction in classrooms, there's an increasing prevalence of anxiety and depression in this generation of students.
"I don't think it has ever been harder to be a kid than it is right now," Arkansas Gov. Sarah Huckabee Sanders said in an interview on ABC News promoting the policy push in her state.
That's not to say there hasn't been pushback from parents and students worried about being unable to communicate with each other during an emergency. Students in Louisiana have organized a petition to push the state to rescind the policy. It's received more than 17,000 signatures.
"The ban on cell phone usage in high school is, for many of us, an infringement on our rights and a source of great frustration," the petition says. "While we understand the potential for distraction, it is our belief that cell phone use can, and should, be managed responsibly."
The push for legislation comes as public polling suggests wide support to restrict phone usage during class. A Pew Research Center Survey last fall showed 68 percent of adults supported banning middle and high school students from using cellphones during class.
And it seems to be cutting across party lines. California Gov. Gavin Newsom, a Democrat, signed a law banning cell phones in class by 2026. That came just months after Virginia Gov. Glenn Youngkin, a Republican, signed an executive order banning phone use during the school day.
©2025 the Houston Chronicle. Distributed by Tribune Content Agency, LLC.
