More than a dozen educators and parents overwhelmingly favored a Senate bill Wednesday that bans cellphones and smart watches for students during the entire school day.
Questions still lingered on how schools could provide secure storage for the devices without turning teachers into “police” and how schools could pay for storage equipment such as magnetic pouches.
The House education committee didn’t vote on Senate Bill 78 on Wednesday and instead, leaders are expected to clarify implementation issues before a vote is taken.
State Sen. Jeff Raatz’s bill passed the Senate 28-19 with 11 Republicans voting against it along with eight Democrats. Lawmakers raised questions about enforcement if students peek at their phones in lockers and the cost of purchasing storage equipment.
The bill presently provides two options: school boards could opt to tell students to leave devices at home, or establish a secure storage option for devices at schools.
Indiana just enacted a measure in 2024 that bans the use of cellphones and devices during the instructional day. Raatz, R-Richmond, said issues emerged on the lack of consistency from district to district because teachers were expected to “police” use in classrooms.
Fort Wayne Community Schools, Indiana’s largest district, began a successful “bell-to-bell” device ban in the 2024-25 school year, a leader said.
Steve Corona, a Fort Wayne School Board member and president of the Indiana School Boards Association, said data showed academic performance has improved and behavioral disruptions decreased since the ban began.
“Folks, it’s working,” said Corona. “I know some parents have the need to stay in touch. We encourage parents to call the school office.”
He said the district purchased magnetic storage devices called Yondr pouches for students’ phones.
He estimated the cost at $400,000 to $500,000. The district’s enrollment is about 29,000 students.
“What it did for academic performance, it’s worth it,” Corona said.
Jeff Butts, the new executive director of the Indiana Association of Public School Superintendents and former superintendent of the M.S.D. Wayne Township Schools in Indianapolis, estimated it would have cost his district about $275,000 to purchase the pouches.
Finding the money would be burdensome, he said.
Terry Spradlin, executive director of the Indiana School Boards Association, said the “secure storage” policy option for school boards was very narrow. He supported an amendment removing “secure” to allow school boards to define the option.
“My concern is you open this thing up so big you can drive a truck through it,” said Rep. Jake Teshka, R-North Liberty. “Why do you feel hamstrung?”
Spradlin said the current law has an inconsistency because of teacher discretion. “This makes it more uniform; it’s a clearly defined policy.”
Rep. Tonya Pfaff, D-Terre Haute, an education committee member and Terre Haute math teacher, voiced support for the ban.
“If we pass this, everyone is on the same page and teachers know we don’t have to fight that fight every period. To me, it’s a message that we value education. I’m 100% in favor of this bill,” she said.
Social studies teacher Marissa Tanner, from Washington Township in Marion County, also urged support.
She said after the COVID-19 pandemic, students returned to classes disengaged and addicted to cellphones.
Her Northview Middle School began a “bell-to-bell” policy with the phones stored in lockers. She said grades improved and students began talking to each other again.
She said her own son is in kindergarten and she understands the fear of not being able to reach a child.
“The reality is family communication doesn’t disappear. A student can use my phone, if needed,” she said.
Carole Carlson is a freelance reporter for the Post-Tribune.
