DELAWARE - A bipartisan bill moving through the Delaware General Assembly would require every public school district and charter school in the state to adopt policies limiting student cell phone use during the school day.
The House passed Senate Bill 106 on the first day of the second half of the 153rd General Assembly. The legislation is sponsored by Rep. Kim Williams, a Democrat from Newark, and Sen. Eric Buckson, a Republican from South Dover.
SB 106 requires that school districts and charter schools work with educators to develop local cell phone use policies. The rules must define when and where students may use phones, limit use during class, and outline consequences for breaking those rules. Exceptions must be made for emergencies, medical needs, and educational accommodations.
Schools would also be required to clearly communicate their policies to students and parents.
"We're seeing how cell phones are a constant distraction in the classroom," Williams said. "They impact not just student learning, but also the environment for educators and administrators."
The proposal follows findings from the Student Behavior and School Climate Task Force, which identified cell phones as a major disruption in classrooms.
Buckson noted that the bill provides statewide guidance while preserving flexibility for local schools to tailor their policies.
Additional co-sponsors of SB 106 include Sen. Russ Huxtable, a Democrat from District 6; Sen. Brian Pettyjohn, a Republican from District 19; Rep. Jeff Hilovsky, a Republican from District 4; and Rep. Claire Snyder-Hall, a Democrat from District 14.
Travis Moorman, superintendent of the Milford School District, said the policy, if the bill becomes law, will be about balance.
"Cell phones have become a part of day-to-day use and day-to-day life, but there's also an element and a lot of research to support the negative impacts that technology screen time associated with cell phones now has on the social-emotional development of students," Moorman said.
He also emphasized the potential educational value of phones when used appropriately.
"Cell phones have a lot of connectivity and a lot of other, parts or applications that are associated with, teaching and learning, and so, we don't want to completely ban cell phones, but we most certainly want to help our students understand responsible use of cell phones, and really encourage still encourage the use of it as a learning tool when it's appropriate," he explained.
Moorman called the effort a lift that's overdue.
"Cell phones have become a very heavily integrated part of our lives, and I think parents will appreciate the support from the school system and from state legislators to help create some of these parameters," he said.
He also commented on the benefit of having state-level backing for enforcement.
"As a school district, it most certainly will be beneficial to us when issuing consequences that we have the state regulation to kind of fall back on once it is fully approved by the House and the Senate. So, again, it's a difficult challenge... it presents a lot of opportunities for the use of instructional applications," Moorman added.
Balancing emergency communication with information control is another concern, he noted.
"It's hard because students are used to communicating with their parents. In some cases, parents will communicate with their students during the day, and so we want to be able to ensure that ability to communicate in case of emergency, retain that, but we also have to be mindful of emergency situations, the control of information. Misinformation can be shared very quickly," he said.
While school districts in Sussex County already have local phone rules, SB 106 would require uniform statewide expectations and updated policies.
Michel Fitzgerald, a parent from Cape Henlopen School District, said he supports the idea based on an experience in another state.
"The teacher said that it made a huge difference for them. The students were still safe, still had the ability to contact the parents, but then at the same time, they had less distraction, so they were actually picking up things that they normally weren't," Fitzgerald said.
He added that he values the structure the legislation would provide.
"I just think that it's a really great measure to keep the kids focused, and to keep them off of things that maybe they shouldn't be without the parents involved. We can only be with them so much. So, whenever they are at school, I like to know that there's going to be some responsibility as far as technology as well," he noted.
SB 106 now returns to the Senate for consideration of House Amendment 2.
