ALCAP President Greg Davis recently welcomed Alabama State Representative Leigh Hulsey onto Priority Talk Radio to share about HB166, a bill she is sponsoring to limit cellphones in public schools.
“What we are trying to do is free our classrooms of unnecessary screens for multiple reasons. One, education purposes. The other would be safety in general,” Hulsey said.
The goal is to prohibit the use and possession of cellphones during the “instructional day.” This includes class times, but also transition periods, lunch, and more. The FOCUS Act reads as follows: “This bill would prohibit a student from using, operating, or possessing a wireless communications device on public elementary or secondary school grounds during the instructional day subject to certain exceptions and subject to written policies adopted by a local board of education to implement this act.”
Greg Davis and Rep. Hulsey talked about some of the responses she has received. Many parents and teachers support the bill, but there are safety and healthy reasons to be cautious. Hulsey says that she has considered the feedback carefully, and the bill allows certain exceptions. These exceptions include the ability to use a cellphone if allowed in a student’s “Individualized Education Program, Individualized Accommodation Plan, Section 504 plan, or Individualized Health Plan.” Exceptions also include the use of a cellphone for educational purposes, as outlined by a teacher. Also, a cellphone may be used in case of an emergency.
For more information, listen to the entire conversation here.