(The Center Square) – A Wisconsin bill would ban student cell phone use throughout the school day, expanding on a previous law that requires all school districts to approve a plan to prohibit cell phones during instructional time by July 1.
Assembly Bill 948 passed the Assembly on its final day of session and passed the Senate Committee on Education with a 4-1 vote on Friday after a public hearing earlier in the week. The full Senate would then have to approve the measure before it would head to Gov. Tony Evers’ desk.
If approved, the full school day cell phone ban would go into effect on July 1, 2027.
Lawmakers have discussed proposing an item in the next state budget that could include reimbursement for $20 to $30 pouches to keep cell phones unusable until the school day ends.
The bill includes an exception for students that need a cell phone for special education programming that have an individual education plan.
Several groups, including the Wisconsin Association of School District Administrators, registered against the bill while the American Diabetes Association registered its support.
Rep. Linda Brill, R-Sheboygan Falls, said that she was part of a task force that had an off-site day in Oostburg and was told by Superintendent Kevin Bruggink that the new rules are leading students to spend more time on their phones during non-instructional time due to the ban.
“Now they’re late to classes, they’re taking 15-minute bathroom breaks, kids aren’t talking at lunch, there’s actually a term for it called silent lunch,” Brill said during the public hearing. “Kids are getting to lunch and they’re literally in their phones and they’re not even talking to one another.”
The disciplinary action in response to students breaking the cell phone ban will be up to the school district, Brill said.
“I feel like we already took a kick at the cell phone ban and pushing for the schools to go in that direction,” said Sen. Chris Larson, D-Milwaukee. “I’m just curious at why we’re kicking that again without going to the other side. I don’t disagree with what you’re saying, I’m just curious why we’re not … trying to limit social media access to youth because of the damage.”
Brill said that the task force has 10 bills including some that address social media but also one that addresses increased resources for the Internet Crimes Against Children task force.
“I think this is an important piece of making a safer state for our children,” Brill said in response.
Sen. John Jagler, R-Watertown, said that he met with superintendents in his district and they asked for state legislation requiring cell phone bans in schools rather than leaving it entirely up to local control.
“They were too cowardly to do it themselves,” Jagler said.
