MEMPHIS, Tenn. — Tennessee lawmakers have given their final approval to ban the use of cell phones in schools across the state.
The bill now awaits Governor Bill Lee’s signature. State leaders are calling these devices a distraction.
“I could barely teach for it, but I couldn’t get their attention face to face,” said an educator. named Beverly Shockey. “I couldn’t get their attention because their head was on the phone, and they weren’t doing the lesson.”
In a 30-to-0 vote by the senate, legislators passed House Bill 932. The ban includes laptops, smart watches, and any other personal communication devices.
“Most don’t experience any emergency. They are just going through the phone and looking on Facebook,” said Shockey. “That’s something you can do on your break, your lunch break after you get home.”
The Memphis Shelby County Schools district already has a policy that prohibits cell phones from schools during the school day.
Their policy cites cheating, bullying, and taking inappropriate photos as part of the district’s reasoning behind the ban.