Earlier this year, Florida lawmakers proposed an in-school cellphone ban for elementary and middle school students during the school day. As it stands, students are not allowed to use their devices during instructional time. Coral Gables Republican Representative Demi Busatta spearheaded the bill, which left the house with a 85-14 vote and made it to the Senate where the bill passed with a 26-5 vote. The bill made it to Ron Desantis’ desk and has now been signed into law.
Representative Ashley Gantt of Miami brought up concerns regarding the safety of students during activities citing the inability to contact parents or guardians during field trips and outings. Rep. Busatta fired back with “we did it when we were in school” and that people of her generation “didn’t have phones and we didn’t have smartphones, our parents were able to get a hold of us when they needed to” by calling the front office” according to NBC Miami.
House Bill 1105 (HB 1105) not only prohibits cell phone usage but has other major educational impacts. On top of the pilot programming involving “six counties that would prevent cell phone use in high schools during the entire school day”, HB 1105 also empowers charter schools through a number of measures. For example, charter schools will receive a portion of any sales tax income. They will also be able to move from public to charter status without a majority support from teachers. These efforts are in-line with Republican agendas to delegitimize public schools while bolstering charter and private schools.
Although it is highly important that our students are engaged while in class, the cellphone ban seems to be a temporary fix to an issue that isn’t as pervasive as a major issue in our schools: mass shootings and general safety. Last year there were 39 school shootings with injuries and/or deaths. This year, the United States has had seven school shootings. With this perspective, the regulations of cell phones seem even more short-sighted when parents are worried about the safety of their children every time they leave the house.
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