Will Washington Ban Student Cellphones in School?

There was a bill that was introduced to the Washington State Legislature. It is a bill about restricting the use of cell phones in Washington state classrooms. A hearing on house bill 2018, sponsored by Rep. Stephanie McClintock was heard in January. This took place at House Early Learning and K-12 Education Committee. The proposal will start with a volunteer pilot program. The only exceptions would be for students who need a device for a medical reason. According to the article “Should WA ban student cell phones in public classrooms?“, it says that if House Bill 2018 was approved it would require the Office of the Superintendent of Public Instruction to make a two-year pilot program to study different ways cell phone restriction would happen in schools. Some ways House Bill 2018 might implement cell phone restriction is limiting cell phone use to specific time periods, or locations, or only during certain activities. The second way would be by making students place their cell phone in a safe place like at the front of the classroom or in a secure container. Places where the Pilot takes place will also have to take a survey from teachers, students, and administrators and ask their opinion on the pros and cons of the cellphone restriction. Another requirement that House Bill 2018 has for the Office of the Superintendent of Public Instruction is to study the polices of other schools that have already implemented cellphone restrictions.