TEAM. CHILDREN ACROSS THE STATE COULD BE BANNED FROM USING THEIR PHONES INSIDE THE CLASSROOM. SOON. THE SENATE PASSED A BILL LAST NIGHT CALLING FOR THE ACTION, BUT SOME PARENTS AREN’T COMPLETELY ON BOARD. WVTM 13 ERIN LEWELLYN SPOKE WITH ONE PARENT WHO SAYS THEY AGREE WITH LIMITING DISTRACTIONS IN THE CLASSROOM, BUT NOT IF IT MEANS LIMITING COMMUNICATION WITH THEIR CHILDREN. YEAH, I TALKED TO ONE PARENT WHEN A SIMILAR BILL WAS ORIGINALLY PRE-FILED BACK IN NOVEMBER, SHE SAID. THEN SHE WAS COMPLETELY AGAINST BANNING PHONES IN SCHOOL, AND SHE ADMITS SHE HAS HER OWN SELFISH REASONS FOR THAT. NOW, TODAY, SHE TOLD ME THAT SHE STILL HAS SOME RESERVATIONS, BUT IS COMING AROUND TO THE IDEA OF EMBRACING IT. NOW, SENATE BILL 92 WILL BAN ANY DEVICE THAT ALLOWS MESSAGING, AND IT WOULD REQUIRE STUDENTS TO TAKE A SOCIAL MEDIA SAFETY COURSE BEFORE EIGHTH GRADE. IT ALSO REQUIRES EDUCATION BOARDS TO ESTABLISH AN INTERNET SAFETY POLICY. THE BILL CLAIMS PHONES IN SCHOOL IN THE CLASSROOM NEGATIVELY IMPACT LEARNING ENVIRONMENTS, DISTRACT STUDENTS, AND CONTRIBUTES TO POOR MENTAL HEALTH. ONE BIRMINGHAM CITY SCHOOL PARENT, WHO HAS TWO CHILDREN WITH PHONES IN SCHOOL, AGREES THAT PARTS OF THE BILL ARE SPECIFICALLY. HEY, I’M WITH THAT BECAUSE THEY NEED TO GET BACK TO WRITING. HOW ARE THEY GOING TO SIGN THESE CHECKS? THEY DON’T KNOW HOW TO CURSIVE, RIGHT? YOU KNOW WHAT I MEAN? THAT’S WHY I MAKE SURE I IMPLEMENT THAT TO MY CHILDREN. SO IF THEY’RE TALKING ABOUT TAKING IT BACK ACROSS THE BOARD, THEM GETTING BACK, AS WE SAY, PUTTING THEIR FEET ON GRASS, LOOKING AT BOOKS, TEXT WRITING, I’M ALL FOR THAT. BUT WE NEED SOME TYPE OF EMERGENCY CONTACT JUST IN CASE ANYTHING HAPPENS. NOW, THE HOUSE PASSED AN IDENTICAL BILL LAST WEEK. WHICHEVER PIECE OF LEGISLATION IS PASSED BY THE
Cell phones could soon be banned from Alabama schools, but not without pushback from parents
Updated: 7:25 PM CDT Apr 10, 2025
Children across the state could be banned from using their phones inside the classroom soon. The Senate passed a bill last night calling for the action, but some parents aren’t completely on board.One parent told WVTM 13 they agree with limiting distractions in the classroom, but not if it limits communication with her children. When a similar bill was originally pre-filed back in November, Jennifer Williams said then she was completely against banning phones in school, and she admits she has her own selfish reasons for that. On Wednesday, she told me she still has some reservations but is coming around to embrace the idea.Senate Bill 92—also known as Freeing our Classrooms of Unnecessary Screens for Safety (FOCUS) Act—will ban any device that allows messaging, and it would require students to take a social media safety course before eighth grade. It also requires education boards to establish an internet safety policy. The bill claims phones in the classroom negatively impacts the learning environment, distracts students and contributes to poor mental health.Williams, who has two children in Birmingham City Schools with phones in schools, agrees with those parts of the bill specifically.“Hey, I’m with that because they need to get back to writing,” she said. “How are they going to sign these checks? They don’t know how to cursive write. That’s why I make sure I implement that to my children. If they’re talking about taking them back across the board—them getting back, as we say, ‘putting their feet on grass,’ looking at books, text, writing—I’m all for that, but we need some type of emergency contact. Just in case anything happens.”The House passed an identical bill last week. Whichever piece of legislation is passed by the opposite chamber first goes to the governor’s desk.
Children across the state could be banned from using their phones inside the classroom soon. The Senate passed a bill last night calling for the action, but some parents aren’t completely on board.
One parent told WVTM 13 they agree with limiting distractions in the classroom, but not if it limits communication with her children. When a similar bill was originally pre-filed back in November, Jennifer Williams said then she was completely against banning phones in school, and she admits she has her own selfish reasons for that. On Wednesday, she told me she still has some reservations but is coming around to embrace the idea.
Senate Bill 92—also known as Freeing our Classrooms of Unnecessary Screens for Safety (FOCUS) Act—will ban any device that allows messaging, and it would require students to take a social media safety course before eighth grade. It also requires education boards to establish an internet safety policy. The bill claims phones in the classroom negatively impacts the learning environment, distracts students and contributes to poor mental health.
Williams, who has two children in Birmingham City Schools with phones in schools, agrees with those parts of the bill specifically.
“Hey, I’m with that because they need to get back to writing,” she said. “How are they going to sign these checks? They don’t know how to cursive write. That’s why I make sure I implement that to my children. If they’re talking about taking them back across the board—them getting back, as we say, ‘putting their feet on grass,’ looking at books, text, writing—I’m all for that, but we need some type of emergency contact. Just in case anything happens.”
The House passed an identical bill last week. Whichever piece of legislation is passed by the opposite chamber first goes to the governor’s desk.
