TALLAHASSEE, Fla. – Florida lawmakers late Friday approved barring students in elementary and middle schools from using cell phones during the school day — and testing the idea in high schools.
Current law prevents students from using cell phones during instructional time, but the change would expand that prohibition to throughout the school day in elementary and middle schools. Rep. Demi Busatta, a Coral Gables Republican who spearheaded the proposal, described it as “bell to bell.”
“My first reaction was, how am I going to survive?” Joli Matthews, a 9th grader from Amelia island said, “I love my phone and I love school, but I like my phone in school.”
The cell-phone change was included in a broader education bill (HB 1105) that passed in the final hours of the last scheduled night of this year’s legislative session.
While the bill would prohibit cell phone use throughout the day in elementary and middle schools, it would keep the current law about instructional time for high schools.
It’s gotten mixed reactions with some parents saying it’s a great way to eliminate distractions. Others said they want to be able to talk to their child should something happen.
“The first thing you think of is probably Columbine,” Donny Maraday, a parent of a 6th grader in Northeast Florida, said, “I know there weren’t cell phones really prevalent back then; however, I want to hear my kids voice if there is an issue.”
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The bill would also create a pilot program in six counties that would prevent cell phone use in high schools during the entire school day.
Sen. Danny Burgess, a Zephyrhills Republican who led efforts to pass the bill in the Senate, said lawmakers were taking a hybrid approach and cited a “different dynamic” in high schools than in lower grades.
The pilot would be in two small counties, two medium-sized counties and two large counties selected by the Department of Education.
News4Jax spoke with Crime and Safety Analyst Tom Hackney about what implementing these rules might look like. The bill doesn’t explicitly state how administrators might enforce the bill. He said with high school student it could cause some tension.
“The high school age student, it’s going to be a tough one,” Hackney said, “Because you’ve got kids that are working after school and somewhat independent. Still juveniles and kids, but that’s going to be tough.”
Rep. Ashley Gantt, D-Miami, raised concerns about how a ban would affect students who take part in such things as field trips during the school day.
“If there’s a field trip that’s out of town and they go to some event and it’s out of town, (and) the kids don’t have their cell phones, parents won’t have the ability (to reach them),” Gantt said.
But Busatta pushed back against such arguments.
“Just like we did it when we were in school and we didn’t have phones and we didn’t have smart phones, our parents were able to get a hold of us when they needed to,” she said. “They would call the front desk, you go to the front desk, you make a call from the front office.”
The House voted 85-14 to pass the bill, with the Senate following in a 26-5 vote. The bill is ready to go to Gov. Ron DeSantis.
The bill also included changes that would help charter schools. For instance, it would require that charter schools get a cut if school districts receive sales-tax money through what is known as a local-government infrastructure surtax. Charter schools would receive proportionate shares based on school enrollment.
Also, the bill would make it easier to convert traditional public schools to charter schools. Currently, such conversions must receive support from a majority of parents and a majority of teachers. The bill would remove the requirement for teacher support.
