Democrats answer Whitmer’s call for student cellphone bill

Sign up for Chalkbeat Detroit’s free newsletter to keep up with the city’s public school system and Michigan education policy.

Democratic senators answered Gov. Gretchen Whitmer’s call for legislation to limit student cellphone use and classroom distractions in response to Michigan’s lagging performance on recent state and national assessments.

A bill filed this week would require local school boards to develop policies around the use of wireless devices for all grade levels starting in the 2025-26 school year. The legislation allows flexibility for local districts to decide how the use of electronic devices will be limited for their students.

“I believe that each school district should be able to devise a policy that is right for the school community it serves, which is why my legislation provides flexibility for schools to create plans that best suit their needs,” Sen. Dayna Polehanki, a Democrat from Livonia who introduced the bill, said Tuesday during a Senate Education Committee hearing.

A Republican House proposal seeks to require more restrictive policies. That bill would entirely ban students in kindergarten through fifth grade from bringing phones to school. It would also disallow middle schoolers from using mobile devices at any point during the school day and prohibit use for high schoolers during class.

Whitmer, a Democrat, asked lawmakers for bipartisan legislation to combat the detrimental effect smartphones and social media may have on student mental health and educational outcomes during her State of the State address in February.

Her policy push came after a national assessment showed Michigan students are still struggling to get back to where they were before COVID-era school closures.

Many other states have passed similar legislation amid a national push to restrict cellphone use in schools.

Around 90% of educators surveyed in 2024 supported districts adopting policies limiting the use of phones during instructional time, according to a poll by the National Education Association, a teachers union.

In Michigan, some school districts have already implemented their own policies, such as requiring students to place their phones in magnetically sealed bags during the school day. Some principals and superintendents report anecdotal evidence of fewer suspensions, less bullying, and improved student achievement.

However, empirical evidence is limited, and new research suggests varied results.

Under the Michigan Senate proposal — which is also sponsored by Sen. Mallory McMorrow, a Democrat from Royal Oak, and Erika Geiss, a Democrat from Taylor — districts could limit or ban the use of mobile devices on school grounds during instructional time, lunch, breaks, and recess, as decided by local boards.

One of the main criticisms of school bans on mobile devices comes from students and parents who fear they would not be able to get in touch with each other during emergencies.

The Senate proposal would require school policies to make exemptions for emergencies.

Devices for medical needs, or those included in a student’s individualized education program would be allowed. The policies would also have to allow principals and chief administrators to make other exemptions at their discretion.

Districts would be required to post their cellphone policies on their websites.

Olivia Ponte, the legislative liaison for the Michigan Department of Education, said the agency supports the Senate bill because it addresses the need to put restrictions in place but allows for flexibility.

“A one size fits all approach would not work in Michigan,” she said. “What works in a large urban district may not work in a small rural one.”

Under this proposal, one district could altogether ban cellphone use while another may allow them only for educational purposes.

Venessa Keesler, president and CEO of Launch Michigan, a bipartisan nonprofit education advocacy group, said this bill could help students be better prepared for the workforce.

“When we’re in our cellphone, we’re only interacting with the people who are most directly related to us or who we want to interact with,” she said. “We aren’t in different groups of people. We aren’t working on that conflict resolution, that communication, that teamwork.”

Keesler added, “If we really want our students to be prepared for the future, they have to be able to do more than just interact on their wireless devices.”

Jennifer Smith, director of government relations for the Michigan Association of School Boards, said her organization supports the bill.

Smith said some school board members are concerned about the requirement to enact policies by the start of the next school year, asking for more time for local boards to have discussions and get public input.

Polehanki said she is willing to reconsider the timeline of the bill.

The senator also said she is drafting an additional provision to ensure districts enforce the policies they adopt.

There are still several more steps in the legislative process before the bill can become law. The Senate Education Committee will vote to move the bill forward to the full governing body. After passing a vote in the Senate, the bill would move to the House before being signed by the governor.

The House Education and Workforce Committee is scheduled to discuss the Republican proposal during a meeting on Wednesday.

Hannah Dellinger covers K-12 education and state education policy for Chalkbeat Detroit. You can reach her at hdellinger@chalkbeat.org.