A wave of governors and legislatures—regardless of political leanings—are barring the devices throughout the school day as some districts have also taken action to eliminate technological distractions.
Students needing a mobile device for a disability are exempt, and cell phones are allowed during safety emergencies. Districts and charter schools can decide if teachers may permit phone use in class.
Texas schools are seeing a surge in student removals for vaping, with over 32,000 violations last year. Lawmakers are debating whether to maintain strict penalties or focus on education and support.
Elections took place in Texas as Governor Greg Abbott signed a $1 billion school voucher program, which will use public dollars to fund private school tuition, into law. Conservative-backed candidates suffered losses in the May 3 school board races.
How much these devices consume our attention, and particularly how they impact children's developing brains and social skills, has deeply troubled some health and education experts, parents and students.
California lawmakers reached a deal to fund phonics-based reading instruction without requiring it, marking progress in a long-running debate. The compromise comes amid persistently low statewide literacy scores.
After weeks of protests, Tennessee Republicans paused a bill to let public schools deny enrollment to undocumented children—but supporters say it will return.
Major changes are coming to schools all across Long Island after New York lawmakers agreed to implement a bell-to-bell ban on cellphones during the school day as part of this year's state budget agreement.
The bill would let families use taxpayer dollars for their children's private schooling. Lawmakers also signed off on a sweeping $7.7 billion package to boost public school funding.
