New Texas Law to Kick Cell Phones Out of Public Schools

Public school students won’t be able to use cell phones when they go back to school in August.

Gov. Greg Abbott signed Texas House Bill 1481 last week, which prohibits students from using personal communication devices while on school property during the school day. The bill defines such devices as smart phones, flip phones, tablets, smartwatches, radio devices, paging devices or any electronic device capable of telecommunication or digital communication.

The law does not apply to electronic devices provided to a student by the school. Furthermore, it requires schools to designate a method of storage for students’ personal devices while they are on school property during the school day.

The bill requires school districts to implement policies that authorize the use of personal communication devices in certain cases, such as for students with a special need based on a doctor’s order or to comply with the school’s safety protocols.

It remains to be seen how districts will implement these policies. The bill requires the Texas Education Agency to draft model policies for school districts to consider, but it has not yet done so.

La Grange and Schulenburg ISDs notified parents last week about the new law and said they were working on drafting their own policies. Some parents and teachers expressed support for the new law, saying that cell phones too often distract students from their studies. Others were opposed, expressing concerns about contacting their children in case of an emergency.