Legislature is late to the party on school cellphone issue

There are constants in the world — the sun rising in the east and setting in the west, that it will be cold in Wisconsin in the wintertime, and that the state legislature under the control of Robin Vos will be there to shut the door on the barn after the horses have already run out.

On Feb. 10 the State Assembly held a public hearing on Assembly Bill 2, which would mandate that school boards enact bans on the use of cellphones and other electronics in classrooms and have policies in place by July 2026.

There are many good reasons to restrict or outright ban non-academic cellphone use by students in school settings. Foremost among them is that they are a disruption in the classroom and a distraction from students doing the job of learning and teachers doing the job of teaching. Cellphone use is heavily restricted in the workplace, and for students, the school is their primary workplace.

Beyond serving as a distraction for students, they are also a tool for social media bullying with the quick ability to take and share images on social media. This sort of bullying behavior has led to documented mental health issues with the victims having increased risk for self-harm or other negative behaviors.

Banning or heavily restricting cellphone use in a school setting makes a lot of sense. Which is the reason that about 90% of school districts in the state of Wisconsin have enacted cellphone policies.

These policies vary by school district. Medford has a total ban, with students required to keep cellphones in magnetically locked Yonder bags during the school day or face the risk of having their cellphones confiscated and put in “cellphone jail” in the school office.

Other districts are less restrictive with bans during instructional time but allow use in the cafeteria or between classes. These more relaxed restrictions are more or less effective based more on the local culture of respect for authority within the school buildings and the level of enforcement by principals, teachers, and staff.

The overwhelming majority of school administrators, teachers and school board members have recognized that cellphone use is a concern in their schools and have either enacted solutions or are working toward solutions that fit the needs and circumstances of their students and their communities.

The Wisconsin State Legislature is arriving late to the party and trying to dictate what music is being played. In doing so, the legislature is once again undermining local control by telling local school board members that there is a problem with cellphone use in schools and they must act to do something about it by a date a year and a half from now.

It is worth repeating that, according to the Department of Public Instruction, over 90% of school districts have already enacted cellphone policies.

Restricting student cellphone use in the schools makes a lot of practical sense with specific policies, penalties and enforcement determined at the local level. What doesn’t make sense is for the state legislature to attempt to jump in front of the parade and pretend to have been leading it all along.

Local school boards represent the will of the people in their communities and direct that will onto school administration and set policy. School board members are in their communities and are answerable to their communities. This is the nature and strength of local control.

Rather than wasting time and undermining local control of schools, the legislature should get to work on passing the state budget and ensuring adequate funding to keep public education strong for generations to come.

The Tribune Record Gleaner editorial board consists of publisher Kris O’Leary and Star News editor Brian Wilson.