Montgomery, Ala. – Alabama will soon join the states that have prohibited or restricted the presence of cell phones In schools.
Alabama’s Senate voted on Wednesday 30-2 for The bill Prohibit students in K-12 public schools Use phones during the school day. The phones must be “turned off and stored by your person in a locker, a similar car or location of storage” during the instructional day.
The bill now goes to the governor of Alabama, Kay Ivey, for his firm. Ivey used a part of his speech on the state of the state earlier this year to urge legislators to approve the prohibition of cell phone.
“In school systems where this has been implemented, it has worked,” said Republican Senator Donnie Cesteen.
Many schools already prohibit the use of devices. The legislation will require that all school systems do it. Alabama’s bill leaves schools on how to store devices.
An increasing number of states move to prohibit or restrict cell phones In schools. The impulse has been fed by the concerns that phones are a distraction in the classroom and that screen time and social networks negatively affect mental health.
Several states, including Arkansas, California, Florida, Indiana, Louisiana, Minnesota, Ohio, South Carolina and Virginia, have promulgated measures that prohibit or restrict the use of cell phones by students in schools. Similar bills have been proposed in multiple statistics throughout the country.
Republican senator Chris Elliott tried unsuccessfully to add an amendment to create an exemption for students to communicate with their parents.
“He will listen to parents at home if this happens, and they cannot communicate with their child that the practice is canceled, a car that breaks down,” Elliott said.
