TEA chairman calls for ban on phone use in schools
Texas Education Agency Secretary Mike Moras said phones are a distraction and “extremely detrimental to student learning.”
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Texas Education Agency Commissioner Mike Moras has called for banning phones from classrooms.Some school districts have already taken steps to restrict cell phone use.Texas Rep. Ellen Troxclair (R-Berne) plans to introduce a bill that would apply the restrictions to public schools across the state.
The Texas Education Agency commissioner told lawmakers last week that he wants to ban cellphone use in classrooms.
TEA Commissioner Mike Moras appeared before the Texas Senate Education Committee and called phone calls a distraction and “extremely detrimental to student learning.”
“If I had the authority, I would have already banned classes in all schools in the state,” Moras told state senators. I recommend it.”
Teacher surveys in recent months have found overwhelming support for tougher restrictions.
Over the summer, FOX spoke with state Rep. Ellen Troxclair (R-Berne). State lawmakers said they plan to introduce a bill to ban the use of phones in classrooms when the new legislative session begins in January.
Should cell phone use be banned in Texas schools?
Some school districts in Texas are experimenting with banning cell phone use in classrooms. Texas Congresswoman Ellen Troxclair says this is an issue Congress should consider taking up.
FOX 4 received a statement from Congressman Troxclair on Monday.
“While we will leave the implementation details to school districts, the data that is emerging clearly shows that bell-to-bell solutions like Porch produce the best academic and social outcomes for students,” she said. wrote.
These pouches prevent you from using your phone at all while it’s locked.
Richardson ISD has expanded its use of pouches.
Dallas ISD has banned phones in classrooms and is testing a porch program in three schools.
Grapevine-Colleyville and Mansfield ISDs require students to turn off their phones during class, with penalties for repeated violations.
State Sen. Donna Campbell (R-Texas) said, “We’re going to try to legislate bans on cell phone use in class, but we’ve seen superintendents do it on their own and have success.” In other words, we don’t need laws for everything, we need leadership.” New Braunfels) during a committee meeting.
Moras spoke about the impact of cell phones while being asked about student performance in subjects such as mathematics.
“Everyone is affected by this problem, and grades in eighth grade are going down across the country. Maybe it’s because of cell phones. I’m sure it has something to do with cell phones. .That’s not all,” he said.
Texas leaders want to ban cellphone use in schools
The Texas Education Agency commissioner wants to ban the use of cell phones in all Texas public school classrooms. Some parents do not agree with the plan.
Moras did not go into detail about what type of classroom ban he would propose.
Troxlea told FOX 4 that if pouches are an agreed-upon plan, the state should provide incentives to districts.
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Information in this article was taken from the September 18, 2024 Texas Senate Education Committee meeting and statement from State Representative Ellen Troxclair.
