This Tennessee bill proposes to give school districts the authority to regulate cell phone use during instructional time, with bipartisan support.
It would allow schools to ban phones or require students to hand them over at the beginning of the school day, while providing exceptions for students with disabilities or medical needs.
The goal is to minimize distractions in classrooms and improve focus on instruction.
The bill has already passed its first House subcommittee hearing, with many districts, like Rutherford County Schools, seeing benefits from similar policies.
The bill will now be debated in the Education Committees of both the House and Senate.