Alabama lawmakers on Feb. 26 advanced bills requiring schools to implement a “bell-to-bell” student cell phone ban starting July 1. House Bill 166 and Senate Bill 92 require local boards of education to ban student cell phone use during the instructional day.
The Freeing Our Children from Unnecessary Screens for Safety Act, or FOCUS, sponsored by Senate Education Policy Chairman Donnie Chesteen, R-Geneva, and Rep. Leigh Hulsey, R-Helena, would require students to store phones in lockers, cars or designated areas.
“What we’re trying to do here is give our children an opportunity to go bell to bell without any devices in front of them, and allow the teachers to teach, to instruct,” Chesteen told committee members Wednesday.
Bans on student cell phone use are gaining traction nationwide. Lawmakers in eight states, including Florida and California, have passed similar measures and 15 more states are considering them, according to The Associated Press.
Reduce distractions, promote socializing
Hulsey said restricting phones would reduce distractions and promote students socializing with each other.
“Research and personal experiences increasingly show that smartphone use in schools contributes to lower academic performance, increased anxiety, loneliness, distress and risks to healthy childhood socialization,” she said in a House committee meeting.
Gov. Kay Ivey endorsed the legislation in her Feb. 4 State of the State address, urging lawmakers to pass the bill. “Let’s create the best learning environment for our students and get this bill to my desk so I can sign it into law,” Ivey said.
Exemptions
The bill offers three exemptions:
- Students with a Section 504, Individualized Education Program, Individualized Accommodation Plan or Individualized Health Plan,
- Use for educational purposes under school supervision, and
- Life-threatening situations.
It does not mandate specific penalties for violations but requires local boards to establish disciplinary policies.
Pike Road Junior High School implemented a similar ban at the start of the current school year. Principal Christy Wright told Senate Education Policy committee members the change improved student interaction and classroom focus.
“The policy was that cell phones and electronic devices cannot be seen,” Wright told the Senate committee. “If they were seen, the device was taken up by administration and held until the end of the day.”
No one spoke against the bill in either Senate or House public hearings on Feb. 26.
“Our teachers noted a great difference in our learning environment without cell phones being there.” she said. “It was clear that there was much more peer interaction happening, deeper discussions. Even just in the hallways, the interaction between our students changed our culture some.”
“They also noticed, obviously, more in depth instructional time, more academic engagement, and also just an overall confidence in our students we noticed,” she added.
Beyond restricting cell phone use, the bill requires:
- An internet safety policy for schools,
- An online social media awareness course for students before eighth grade, and
- An anonymous compliance survey developed by the Alabama Department of Education
Starting with the 2026–27 school year, schools failing to meet compliance, as determined by the survey, would lose 30% of their state-funded common purchase allocation. Common purchase funds can be used to buy items used in common areas or shared among teachers.
For Hoover High School — Alabama’s largest school — that would mean a $5,200 reduction from its $17,330 common purchase allocation, or 0.03% of their $16.2 million Foundation Program allocation.
Sen. Rodger Smitherman, D-Birmingham, criticized the financial penalty arguing teachers shouldn’t be affected.
“If there’s got to be a punishment, it shouldn’t be the teacher who is just in there trying to take care of the student and have supplies that they have to come out of their own pocket to help with as well,” he said. He plans to propose an amendment on the Senate floor.
The bills received unanimous approval in both committees and move to the House and Senate.
EDITOR’S NOTE — This story was written by Trisha Powell Crain and originally published by Alabama Daily News. It is reprinted with permission.
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