A bill to restrict cell phone usage in public schools failed after a close vote in the Michigan House.
The bill needed 56 votes to pass, but only got 53. Republican Michigan State Representative Mark Tisdel (R-Rochester Hills), the bill’s primary sponsor, said the bill had bipartisan support but got held up because of political issues.
“This was strictly a political act. We were down three members, so we did not have the 56 votes needed to pass the bill on my side of the aisle,” Tisdel said. “Democratic Caucus leadership in the House saw this as an opportunity to jam us up a little bit. They took advantage of that.”
Tisdel pointed out that Governor Gretchen Whitmer, a Democrat, supported restricting cell phone use in schools in her most recent State of the State address, and said a recent national survey showed 74% of adults want smartphones out of middle and high schools.
Tisdel is planning to rewrite and reintroduce the bill with a few changes. He plans to model it on the New York Bell-to-Bell prohibition, which is similar to other states' smartphone restriction laws.
“We’re rewriting the legislation right now, back to the gold standard, which would be a bell-to-bell prohibition of smartphone use, kindergarten through 12th grade,” he said.
The bill would allow for phones without smartphone capabilities, or flip phones, for students to communicate with their families. It wouldn't allow for any phones with internet access.
There will also be provisions made to allow students to use their smartphones in the case of an emergency, according to Tisdel.
He said the inspiration for the bill was to reduce bullying and unhealthy habits that can develop through constant internet access. He said smartphones are addictive.
“When you introduce this addictive technology to children who don't have that developed sense of delayed self-gratification, the need for more immediate concentration and dedication to a task at hand creates a real problem,” he said. “That's where teachers, principals and administrators are starting to draw the line and say, enough is enough.”
