Cell phone use in Texas public school districts may end. Texas Education Agency (TEA) Commissioner Mike Morath said on Wednesday, Sept. 18, 2024, that next year, lawmakers should ban the use of cell phones in public schools across the state.
Morath expressed his support for a statewide ban during his testimony at a Senate Education Committee hearing. He stated that the use of cellular devices is “extremely harmful” to student progress and advocated for their prohibition in all schools in the state. Morath said, “If it were in my power, I would have already banned them in all schools in the state,” Morath said. “So I would encourage you to consider that as a matter of public policy going forward for our students and our teachers.”
Morath’s comments align with a national debate on the use of cellphones in schools, which is not divided along party lines. He raised the issue of cellphones while discussing student performance on national and state exams. Concerns were raised as only 41% of Texas students demonstrated an adequate understanding of math in the most recent state exam, prompting lawmakers to consider the impact of cellphone use on student outcomes.
There are people who support universal cellphone bans because they believe that cell phones distract students from learning and can be harmful to children’s mental health. On the other hand, some people are concerned that banning cell phones may prevent young people from taking personal responsibility and communicating with their parents during emergencies. This concern has grown as mass shootings have become more common in the United States. For example, during the Uvalde school shooting, where a gunman killed 19 students and two teachers, children trapped inside the school used their phones to call the police for help.
Some members of the committee seemed receptive to the concept following Morath’s testimony on Wednesday with State Sen. Josй Menйndez, D-San Antonio, saying, “Mental health is becoming a bigger and bigger issue. I like what you said about if we could get rid of the cellphones, you know. I mean, it would help all of us if we could do that. But we can’t. I mean … how would it look?”
According to Morath, there are many Texas school districts that already prohibit cellphones in schools, with some outright bans and others allowing limited use only during specific times such as lunch or traveling between classes. “Administratively, this is a very doable thing,” said Morath.
