New Cell Phone Law for Iowa Public Schools

As the new school year gets underway, each of Iowa’s public school districts must enforce a new state law that restricts students’ access to cell phones while they’re in class. 

Matt Carver is legal services director for the School Administrators of Iowa.

The Iowa Department of Education’s website posted a model policy on its website this spring, as well as recommendations for school districts that have not had cell phone limitations before this school year. Carver says he fielded questions about when exceptions may be allowed.

Carver says there’s another exception that would give teachers some authority to incorporate cell phone use in their lesson plans.

In January, Governor Kim Reynolds called on legislators to pass a policy for all public schools that would reduce the distraction of cell phones during instructional time. She signed the law at the end of April, so school boards had over three months to adopt guidelines. Sixteen states have an outright ban on cell phone use during the entire school day. Iowa and six other states have laws that restrict cell phone use during class time, although Iowa’s law lets school districts adopt stricter policies.

story courtesy of Radio Iowa