Sponsor, school leaders say cellphone bill could help schools enforce their own rules

NASHVILLE, Tenn. (WJHL) — State Representative Rebecca Alexander (R-Jonesborough) plans to reintroduce her cellphone ban bill, citing continued communications from school leaders and greater bi-partisan support.

Alexander first filed the bill earlier in 2024; however, it failed to pass a House education subcommittee.

“Oftentimes we run a bill, sometimes a couple of years in a row in order for everyone to buy into it,” Alexander told News Channel 11 Tuesday. “So we’re going to run it again because we need it.”

Kingsport City Schools (KCS) Assistant Superintendent Andy True said the district’s cellphone policy already closely resembles the proposed law, with a total ban in middle and elementary schools and no phones allowed during class time at Dobyns-Bennett High School.

“It goes to the point of if the technology is in their hands, are there scenarios to where we want to be able to provide an educational structure for it?” True told News Channel 11. “So the current procedure for us does allow for that to happen rather than just a straight-out ban. “

Alexander said including phone rules in state law can help teachers with the hard work of enforcing even existing policies.

“It just brings a lot more weight and reasoning,” Alexander said.

True agreed that state law might make students more inclined to comply with teachers’ requests, even if it doesn’t change KCS policies.

“It certainly would provide another layer of enforcement when it comes to the ‘why’ if it becomes state law,” True said. “I think, again, what we want to make sure is that we all understand the rationale for why that type of a process, why that type of a law or policy would be in place. And really, it is to ensure that we can have the best learning environments for our students and the least amount of distraction.”

As written, the law would not penalize students for violating their school’s phone policy. It simply requires districts to adopt a policy by a certain date.

Though the main goal of the law is to reduce distractions that prevent learning, Alexander said she hopes the law will have social benefits as well.

“We’ve forgotten what it’s like to be able to walk down a hall in a school (without a phone), like when I grew up,” Alexander said. “We got to talk to our friends and say, ‘Hey, did you go to the game last night or how was your date last night?’ There are a lot of healthy things that come out of being able to communicate.”

While the Kingsport Board of Education has not taken a stance on the law, True said he’s glad to see the topic up for debate.

“Wherever we can have a discussion that leads us to a point where we have a more focused learning environment, then it’s a healthy discussion,” True said.

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