Why Michigan students will still have phones in school despite rising pressure to restrict them
A bill aimed at restricting cellphone use for all K-12 students in Michigan failed to pass the state House by just three votes, despite growing public support across the US for limiting phones in classrooms. The legislation, authored by State Rep. Mark Tisdel (R-Rochester Hills), would have prohibited cellphone use on school grounds for kindergarten through fifth grade students, and restricted phone use during school hours for middle and high school students.The bill fell short with a final tally of 53 votes in favor, 45 opposed, and 12 absent, missing the 56 votes required for passage. The failure comes as a recent Pew Research study cited by Tisdel shows that 74% of adults in the US support banning cellphone use for middle and high school students during class, up from 68% last fall. Only 19% oppose such bans, and 7% remain unsure, according to WLNS.Details of the proposed phone restrictionsThe four-page bill sought to amend the Michigan school code to implement a wireless communication device policy for students. For students in kindergarten through fifth grade, cellphones would have been banned entirely on school grounds. Students in grades six through eight would have been prohibited from using cellphones during the school day, including instructional time, breaks, lunch, and recess. High school students in grades nine through 12 would have been restricted from phone use during instructional time only.The bill also allowed individual school boards to impose additional restrictions if desired. It included provisions for emergencies, permitting students to use cellphones if such use did not interfere with school emergency protocols or first responder activities. “We put in language that in the event of emergency students could use their cellphones as long as it didn’t interfere with the school’s emergency protocols or interfere with first responder activities,” Tisdel said, as quoted by WLNS.Political dynamics and unexpected oppositionAlthough the bill passed the Michigan House Education Committee with a 9-1 vote earlier this year, its passage in the full House was complicated by the unexpected opposition of three Democrats who were initially expected to support the legislation. State Reps. Noah Arbit (D-West Bloomfield), Regina Weiss (D-Oak Park), and Amos O’Neal (D-Saginaw) all voted against the bill.Arbit explained his opposition by citing the ongoing political standoff over the state budget. He said, as reported by WLNS, “While I continue to support the concept of this policy, the real question to ask is why Matt Hall and House Republicans are barreling the State of Michigan towards a government shutdown, dodging their constitutional responsibilities by continuing to cancel House Session and refusing to negotiate with Democrats on a bipartisan budget to fund our schools, cities, and emergency services.“Weiss, who voted for the bill in committee, stated she supported the concept but wanted changes before fully endorsing it. She expressed optimism about future chances for the bill, noting Governor Gretchen Whitmer’s call for K-12 cellphone restrictions during her State of the State address this year.Next steps for the bill’s authorFollowing the bill’s rejection, Rep. Tisdel said he plans to rework the legislation to reflect a stricter version. “At this point, I have tried the ‘Mr. Nice Guy’ version of the bill and worked with others, now I am going to go back and write it as the gold standard ‘bell-to-bell’ prohibition K-12 and that is the way it is going to be,” Tisdel said, according to WLNS. “It will be the same bill, but I am writing it the way I want to write it. This is nothing out of the ordinary. It has become ordinary.”WLNS also reached out to Governor Whitmer and State Rep. O’Neal for comment but had not received responses at the time of reporting.TOI Education is on WhatsApp now. Follow us here.
