NORTH TEXAS — Texas Rep. Ellen Troxclair said if cellphones are a distraction to students, it’s a losing battle for Texas schools to keep students focused in class.
“Allowing kids to bring televisions, boom boxes, walkie-talkies or the like to school and put them on their desks while teachers are giving them instruction is clearly not the way children are going to retain information,” she said.
That’s why Austin-area Republicans are planning to introduce legislation to implement a “no cell phone” initiative in all Texas schools.
There are several ways to keep students from having cell phones, ranging from inexpensive methods like storing phones in manila folders or hanging shoeboxes to more expensive methods like providing students with locked pouches during school hours, she said.
“Of all the options, we found that having the bell locked out of sight every time it rang was the best because it allowed them to talk to their classmates during lunch without having to constantly check in between classes or at lunch,” she said.
of The I-Team surveyed 50 districts in North Texas. While most colleges have adopted an “out of sight, out of mind” policy, six schools have purchased magnetic locking pouches from a company called Yondr for a limited number of campuses.
The Richardson Independent School District surveyed teachers after the first year and 100% said they approved of the changes and that the porches allowed them more time to teach.
“We all thought the toothpaste was out of the tube and we didn’t know how to put it back in. But with hard evidence and strong leadership, these districts were able to prove it can be done and that it’s very much needed,” Troxclair said.
The state’s potential involvement in students’ cellphone access has drawn some opposition.
“Rather than banning cell phone use in schools, I think the focus should be on integrating and implementing cell phones into formal education programs that help young learners learn how to be effective and responsible online citizens,” said Bill Salak of Brainly, an education company based in Krakow, Poland and headquartered in New York City.
He supports leaving the decisions to teachers in the classroom, rather than the government.
He believes students need to be instructed on how to control distractions caused by mobile phones and use them appropriately.
“Learning how to use technology responsibly will serve them much better in the future than banning it altogether and saying, ‘You can take it back when you’re older.'”
But Texas would join a growing list of states that have passed similar bills, with at least eight more considering them.
Troxclair said he already has bipartisan support from members of both chambers of Congress.
“We had several senators who reached out to us right away and said, ‘This is a great idea. How can we work together?'” she said.
Troxclair said he doesn’t want to pass a mandate.
Her goal is to provide funding to districts that want to voluntarily implement stricter device policies.
“Even if we pass a bill statewide, we don’t get into the specifics of how it’s implemented, how it’s enforced, so districts have plenty of flexibility. But my role is to say if you want to do this, I support you 1,000 percent.”
Troxclair said he’s intrigued by the idea of providing the Yonder Pouch or similar technology to middle and high school students across the state.
She plans to meet with the company next week to discuss pricing and availability.
More from CBS News
Andrea Lucia
