NC lawmakers want to ban students from using phones, laptops in class. What the bill says
Legislation filed Wednesday would bar North Carolina public school students from using cellphones at schools during instructional time.
Senate Bill 55 requires school boards and charter schools to create a policy that at a minimum prohibits students from using, displaying or having a wireless communication device turned on during instructional time. Schools would establish consequences for violations, including confiscation of the device and any other disciplinary measures..
Examples of prohibited wireless devices in the bill include cellphones, laptop computers and tablets. But the legislation says schools can make exceptions such as teachers authorizing their use for educational purposes or if a student has a medical need or if it’s part of their special-education plan.
The bill’s three Republican primary sponsors are Sens. Michael Lee of New Hanover County, Jim Burgin of Harnett County and Lisa Barnes of Nash County.
Rising concerns about phones in schools
Burgin and Sen. Jay Chaudhuri, a Raleigh Democrat, had filed a bill last session to study the impact of phones in schools. The bill didn’t go anywhere. But since then concerns have risen about the negative impact of students having phone in schools.
Concerns have been raised about phones distracting students from their school work and causing social media addiction.
At least 19 states have passed laws or enacted policies that ban or restrict students’ use of cellphones in schools statewide or recommend local districts enact their own bans or restrictive policies, according to an Education Week analysis.
“Unfortunately, we have a collective action problem where we’ve created a phone-based childhood as opposed to phone-free childhood,” Chaudhuri, one of the sponsors of the new bill, said in a news release Wednesday. “Study after study, superintendent after superintendent have told us that phone-free schools benefit students, teachers, and parents.
“With this legislation, we’ll join more than dozen other states that have passed legislation to restrict cell-phone use in classrooms.”
The State Board of Education has been weighing whether to adopt new policies or recommend new laws that would set limits on student cellphone use in schools.
Former State Superintendent Catherine Truitt told the state board in November that lawmakers should not pass a statewide ban. Instead, she said the decision should be left up to individual school districts and charter schools.
School districts such as Wake County have been working on updated phone policies. Currently, policies vary by school in Wake.
The legislation also comes at a time when all North Carolina school districts have given students a laptop or tablet to use in class.
How far should a ban go?
The legislation appears to give schools at least some flexibility in how far to restrict phones. It doesn’t mandate a “bell to bell” ban used in some schools where phones can’t be used at all during the school day.
Some schools allow students to have phones out when they’re not in class, such as during lunch or while they’re in the hallway changing classes.
Some schools have programs where students are required to place their phones in magnetically sealed pouches so they can’t use them during class. Other schools require students to keep their phones in their bookbags or lockers.
One of the challenges with banning phones in schools is winning over parents. National surveys have found that that parents support putting limits on phone use in class but still want their children to have devices on them in case of an emergency such as a school shooting.
This story was originally published February 5, 2025 at 10:57 AM with the headline "NC lawmakers want to ban students from using phones, laptops in class. What the bill says."
