NASHVILLE, Tenn. (WTVF) — A new bill aimed at reducing distractions in class by banning cell phones has passed the Tennessee Senate and will head to Gov. Bill Lee for his signature.
Most Tennessee school districts already have some sort of rule or policy on phones, but there's nothing uniform from the state.
This bill would require school districts to come up with their own cell phone ban policy.
The bill leaves a lot of the details up to the school districts — including whether a student is allowed to have the phone on their person, just on silent, or zipped up in their backpack.
Districts would also determine the punishment structure.
The bill also allows other forms of technology, like a laptop, tablet or watch to be banned from the classroom.
There are exceptions, like if a student is an English language learner or has a medical or developmental condition.
If it is signed into law, the bill allows for phone use in the event of an emergency, but the representative who wrote it insists school districts should handle all communication in a crisis, not the students themselves.
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