BISMARCK — North Dakota lawmakers heard testimony for and against a bill to ban cellphone use by public school students during instructional time Wednesday, Jan. 15.

House Bill 1160,

sponsored by Rep. Jim Jonas, R-West Fargo,

would prohibit students from using cellphones during classes or any educational activity but allow such use during lunch, recess, between classes and open class periods.

Jonas said approximately 11 states have either total bans or restrictions on student cellphone use and another 10 are considering them.

“Let’s see if we can get better behavior, academic scores up, math, reading and better mental health,” Jonas told the House Education

C

ommittee on Wednesday.

A modified version of the bill makes exceptions for students who must use their cellphone to manage a medical condition or are on an individualized education program, plan or 504 plan who use their phone as an assistive device.

In addition, a school district or school may temporarily suspend the cellphone ban in the case of an emergency.

West Fargo High School Principal Rachel Bachmeier, who spoke in favor of the bill, said her school, along with others in the district, implemented a policy in the fall of 2022 to restrict cellphone use.

In effect, the cellphone policy is “out of sight, out of use from bell to bell,” she said, but students may use them during non-instructional time.

Consequences for violating the policy range from a classroom warning to surrender of the cellphone to the main office for a day or more to family meetings and behavior plans.

“We very, very rarely move beyond the first main office consequence. It is an incredibly effective policy in that way,” Bachmeier said.

Teachers have also noticed less “drama” in the classroom when students aren’t distracted by their phones, she added, and students themselves have reflected on how the policy improved their own behaviors.

Several school administrators and other stakeholders expressed concerns with aspects of the bill.

Steve Madler, principal of Bismarck Century High School, said they follow an “out of sight, out of mind during instruction” policy after attempting an all-out cellphone ban a few years back, which led to too many arguments from students and families.

However, he said, some students and teachers use cellphones in the classroom for research, surveys and language translation, adding that the Bismarck district distributes Google Chromebooks to students, which aren’t as efficient as Apple iPads for those tasks.

“It’s important for us to have policies, but I think it’s also important that we have pieces in the bill that allow us to use it for an educational purpose,” Madler said.

KrisAnn Norby-Jahner, in-house legal counsel for the North Dakota School Boards Association, expressed concern about a blanket ban on cellphone use. She said local control should be maintained, and a large majority of school districts already handle this issue.

Norby-Jahner suggested a change in the bill’s language simply requiring all school districts to come up with their own cellphone policies.

In 2024, the Minnesota Legislature passed a law requiring school districts and charter schools to adopt student cellphone policies by March 15, 2025.

Bachmeier said there is an argument for local control, but action is needed if lawmakers believe excessive cellphone use and social media access during classes is a public health crisis.

“If we do, what is our responsibility as a state to step in and take the first action in helping protect our kids?” she asked.