Texas students' cell phones banned from schools under new law

[dalton99a]

https://www.kxan.com/news/education/texas-students-cell-phones-banned-from-schools-under-new-law/

Texas students’ cell phones banned from schools under new law
by: Cora Neas
Posted: Jun 23, 2025 / 08:34 AM CDT

AUSTIN (KXAN) — Texas Governor Greg Abbott signed a recently passed bill into law Sunday that will ban K-12 students from using cell phones and other personal communications devices during the school day.

House Bill 1481 takes effect immediately; however, it is still months ahead of the 2025-2026 school year.

The new law applies to public school and open-enrollment charter schools. Schools and districts will need to create policies to either store students’ devices or prohibit devices on campus.

Disposal of confiscated devices under HB 1481 can only occur 90 days after notice is sent to a parent or guardian. However, students with documented health or safety needs will be allowed to keep their devices, if required.

The law specifically covers cell phones, smartphones, tablets, smartwatches, radios, pagers, or “any other electronic device capable of telecommunication or digital communication.”

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No more Google, ChatGPT, or TikTok challenge during school hours. Students with affluenza who have a doctor's note are exempt

[Walleye]

1. But how will the kids, hiding under their desks from the school shooter, call their parents to say goodbye?

[EYESORE 9001]

3. Thoughts and prayers, thoughts and prayers

Only the faithless would prioritize calling those still living over calling out to lord gawd almighty in their hour of dying.

[Walleye]

6. Too bad God doesn't have a 911 line

[EYESORE 9001]

8. That's PRAYER, you heathen! Gawd's own hotline!

Those who perish just aren’t praying hard enough!

[karynnj]

10. "safety need". Given guns in Texas maybe all kids have a safety need.

This does not seem to be something the state should regulate. Schools or school districts should work to establish sensible policies. What is surprising is that this is not a new issue.

My kids are in their 30s. When two of them were in high school in 2001, the rule was that kids needed to keep their cell phones off and in their backpacks. This respected that they might need them before and after school. We were in an area of NJ where many parents worked in NYC. On 911, one of my daughter's teachers told the kids to get their phones out and to share them with any kids whose parents worked in NYC first. The class also walked to a quiet area in a neighboring arboretum.

It was after that that we gave our three kids cell phones asking that they follow school policy.

[Igel]

14. You mean the kids who have active cell phones

when somebody with a gun is wandering the halls and listening for signs of life--beeps, rings, chimes, talking?

"But what if my parents' are worried?"

"But what if it's determined that the reason the shooter came in and killed some of your classmates was because your phone rang when you mom called back to ask what the emergency was--was it really an intruder!"

I want to see this enforced.

[hamsterjill]

15. THIS!

As sick as the sentiment is - it has happened. There were also instances in the Uvalde shooting (I grew up there) where students were providing valuable information. The idiot police may not have listened to the information, but it was being provided by at least one, incredible 4th grader.

[ProfessorGAC]

16. Flip Phones?

There was a story some time ago about a school getting a simple cellphone for $4 or $5 each.
The students get them for emergencies, but they're not capable of texting or internet.
As a substitute, I see different forms and degrees of enforcement of cellphone policy, but the HS level is often out of control.
Kids doing nothing at all but surfing the net on their phones; never even opening the school provided laptop, which does nearly all of the same things. (On a bigger, easier to see screen.)
I actually in favor of some highly aggressive actions in this arena.

[MagickMuffin]

2. Well at least they'll have the 10 Commandments to protect them

School shooters will now be able to gun down a classroom and the kids being shot at can gather around the 10 Commandment posters to save them and secure the classrooms.

Whew those Texas priorities, very well intended for the fascist in charge. They have ruined Texas for generations they’ve been busy. Thanks a lot KKKarl Rove.

[Walleye]

7. Yep, the 10 Commandments, we can't have school kids going around making graven images

[jmowreader]

20. Art class is now banned in Texas?

You’ll note the Catholic Church doesn’t prohibit graven images in their version of the Decalogue - instead, theirs splits the Protestant “thou shalt not covet thy neighbor’s wife or goods” into one commandment for his wife and another for his goods. They realized very early on their amazing and massive collection of religious artwork could be considered to be graven images.

The Protestants disallow graven images but tons of Protestants have religious tattoos, and it doesn’t get more “graven” than that!

[Grins]

4. Where's the prison time for those juvenile violators?

This is Texas, amiright????

[newdeal2]

5. Sounds like an issue Dems should lean on

I imagine this is very unpopular with students and some parents.

[mwmisses4289]

9. Ok, typical stupid texas republicans demonstrating that, yet again,

they didn't think things through.
Many schools use tablets for their lessons. Most tests are now online. Much of the works kids need to do is online.
Did they carve out exceptions for that?
Damn idiots who belong to the party that is for lawlessness, is anti- christian, and hates america and americans.

[senseandsensibility]

18. True, but in my school district

the kids are issued a laptop to use in class only when one is required. Of course they were elementary students, but it worked and everyone had the same access to technology.

[Ms. Toad]

11. That last comment is offensive.

You are aware that phones are part of a lifesaving system for people with T1 diabetes, aren't you?

Not only rich people get T1 diabetes. I grew up among poor farmers and went to a one room country school. Out of the 13 kids there, 3 had diabetes. Out of necessity, we all learned to recognize the early and later signs of hypoglycemia - and how to treat it, so our classmates didn't die. The integrated medical system both makes hypoglycemia far less likely - but also provides an early (unambiguous) alert system when something goes wrong. Having the phone locked away in a different room - or in a lock bag only the teacher can unlock- could be the difference between a minor incident and a trip to the hospital - or worse.

I am sure there are other illnesses which require a cell phone - I am just all too intimately aware of this one. All the of my schoolmates have died from complications of the disease. Only one made it to his 60s. Because of the new technology, most would have been alive today because of the improved control over the disease.

Please delete your comment about affluenza and doctor's notes. It is an offensive ableist comment.

[no_hypocrisy]

12. As a teacher, I can get behind this bill.

6th to 8th graders in my school (75%) can’t be bothered to do class work. They’re in their phones, texting, laughing riotously, disrupting others. Learning
nothing.

[ananda]

13. I don't actually disapprove of this policy.

I was a public school teacher, so you can guess why.

Of course, there should be certain exceptions in place
but it really would make teaching a lot better.

[muriel_volestrangler]

19. Australia already had a ban on phones being on at school

https://www.abc.net.au/news/2024-08-15/is-mobile-phone-ban-in-schools-helping-students-learn/104218850

and is planning to ban under 16s from social media anywhere, soon:

https://www.bbc.co.uk/news/articles/c89vjj0lxx9o

It'd be interesting if any Aussies could comment on how it's going.

[Buckeyeblue]

21. I don't disagree with this.

Teachers i know say that smart phones are big distractions in class. Kids might actually communicate verbally with each other if they can't flip through videos.