Senate Raises Their Hand For School Districts Creating Their Own Cell Phone Ban

(Source; MIRS.news, Published 05/06/2025) School districts will need to start enforcing policies of their choosing aimed at limiting cell phone use in classroom settings under legislation the Senate passed Tuesday, 28-9.

Senate Education Chair Dayna Polehanki (D-Livonia)’s

SB 234 was opposed by Sens. Joseph Bellino JR. (R-Monroe), Jon Bumstead (R-North Muskegon), Kevin Daley (R-Lum), Roger Hauck (R-Union Twp.), Michele Hoitenga (R-Manton), Dan Lauwers (R-Brockway), Jonathan Lindsey (R-Coldwater), Rick Outman (R-Six Lakes) and Lana Theis (R-Brighton). 

Beginning with the 2025-26 academic year, school district and public school academy boards must implement cell phone policies affecting their elementary, middle and high schools. Bans could be applicable during instructional time, recess periods and lunch. 

The policies must exempt emergency situations, medical uses and devices being used by students with individualized education plans.

Tuesday’s action follows the House Education and Workforce Committee passing

HB 4141 on April 23, which bans cell phones from all K-5 school grounds. 

Gov. Gretchen Whitmer made limiting cell phone use in schools one of her priorities during her State of the State remarks in February. 

Sen. Thomas Albert (R-Lowell) offered a failed amendment to today’s bill, requiring that, if school districts do permit some kind of cell phone use inside classrooms under their policies, outside of

SB 234 ’s exemptions, that they must justify it in reporting to the Michigan Department of Education. 

Theis, who chaired the Senate’s education panel when the chamber was previously under Republican control, said it’s obvious that cell phones in schools are an extraordinary problem needing to be addressed. 

“However, I don’t believe this is the answer. I believe this is too permissive, and I don’t see anything in law that would currently prohibit our schools from doing what’s already being requested in this bill,” Theis said. “With respect, I asked my colleagues to look for future bills that have stronger language.” 

When asked what would be the lowest bar or the most minimal ban that a school district could implement under SB 234, Polehanki said “I don’t want to dip into that. I wouldn’t know what the bare minimum would be.” 

When questioned whether a school district could make “no policy” their policy, she said such a scenario “kind of runs against the spirit of the bill.” 

“When Governor Whitmer first talked about this, I thought intuitively, ‘Well, doesn’t every school have a cell phone policy?’ I said before that you actually can’t find that information because it’s not statutorily required to be collected by the department,” she said. “If I’m a superintendent and I can’t enforce my own cell phone policy, I’ve got bigger problems than cell phones . . . I’d say the same thing for a teacher or principal.” 

A complete ban on cell phones from entering school grounds seems “pretty archaic” to Polehanki, especially during a time when young students might be texting older siblings for rides home or who are contacting their guardians about after-school instruction programs.