Ohio bill to ban cellphones in schools receives pushback

COLUMBUS, Ohio (WCMH) — Ohio Gov. Mike DeWine is calling for a new law to ban cellphones in schools.

“A number of Ohio schools have made the decision to eliminate smartphone use during the school day and I believe clearly that is the right decision,” DeWine said.

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House Bill 485 was introduced by Representatives Tom Young (R-Washington Twp.) and Phil Plummer (R-Dayton) to do that, but is already receiving pushback.

“I think it is a sledgehammer approach for the state to just come down with a mandate,” President of the Ohio Education Association Scott DiMauro said.

HB 485 would ban phones in schools, except for an emergency, medical situation, or instructional purposes.

“These phones are clearly detrimental to learning, they’re detrimental to our children’s mental health, and they clearly do need to be removed from or classrooms in Ohio,” DeWine said.

DiMauro said he hears complaints from his members about cellphones in classrooms often.

“There are serious frustrations about use of cell phones in schools. We know that cell phone use in classrooms can be very disruptive,” DiMauro said. “Even outside of classrooms cell phones can be distracting.”

But he said a one-size-fits-all all approach to ban them may not be the best method. He suggested the state setting guidelines.

“In terms of best practices, in terms of some protections, in terms of liability,” DiMauro said.

Senate President Matt Huffman (R-Lima) called the proposal for a statewide ban a “great idea.”

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“I suppose at some point there’s an academic basis for the use of a smartphone, but I can’t think of one,” Huffman said. “All of us here, I think, learned to read without the use of smartphones when we were in third grade.”

Columbus City Schools is the largest district in the state, they, for example, have a policy requiring that phones be stowed during the school day, unless students are specifically prompted to get them out for class.

Leadership on both sides of the aisle in the House said without much discussion of the proposal yet, they think leaving it up to schools may ultimately be what is best.

“The school districts, the teachers, the principles, they have the ability to do that and if they think that’s the best policy, I think that’s their decision to make,” Speaker of the Ohio House Jason Stephens (R-Kitts Hill) said.

“My inclination, and I would guess probably our caucuses inclination, is to talk with our local school officials and leaders,” Ohio House Minority Leader Allison Russo (D-Upper Arlington) said.

Russo said she is also worried about safety concerns if students do not have their cellphones, but DiMauro argued students can still get in touch with their parents either way.

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“I have never been to a school that doesn’t have regular telephones and doesn’t have the ability to call down to a classroom and notify the student that the parent has a message for them,” DiMauro said. “I think those kinds of concerns tend to be a little bit overblown. If anything, I think there’s a lot of evidence that cell phones introduce more problems when it comes to safety.”

HB 485 also includes guidelines for internet safety in schools. Because the bill was just introduced on Wednesday, it awaits a committee assignment and its first hearing.

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