Wisconsin Assembly Republicans passed a Republican-backed bill in a 53-45 vote that would require school boards to implement policies prohibiting cell phone use during instructional time.
The proposed legislation would require school districts in Wisconsin to enforce a cellphone ban during class with a handful of exceptions including emergencies, to manage a student’s health care or if the use is authorized by a teacher for educational purposes.
Rep. Joel Kitchens, R-Sturgeon Bay, and Sen. Rachael Cabral- Guevara, R-Appleton, introduced the bill in an effort to curb distractions in classrooms and address concerns about technology's impact on student learning and mental health.The bill was amended on the Assembly floor to exclude school-related wireless devices from the ban.
If passed by the state Senate and signed into law by Gov. Tony Evers, the bill would mandate that, by July 1, 2026, each school board must adopt a policy generally prohibiting students from using wireless communication devices during instructional periods.
Data from the Wisconsin Department of Public Instruction’s (DPI) listening sessions and a digital learning survey found that 90% of school districts have policies in place to restrict phone usage.
While many districts already have cell phone policies, Kitchens argued enforcement is inconsistent and called cell phone bans for students a bipartisan issue.
“This bill is about ensuring uniformity and giving schools the support they need to regulate device use,” Kitchens said during the Assembly session.
Under the bill, school districts would have flexibility to craft their own policies while receiving state backing for enforcement.
On the Assembly floor, Democrats pushed back against the proposed statewide mandate, arguing that local school districts should retain control over their own policies.
"My big problem with bills like this is it seems to be overreach. We should trust those publicly elected school boards to answer to those students and their families and the district, and make these policies as they see fit," Rep. Lee Snodgrass, D-Appleton, said.
The Assembly also considered other education-related bills Wednesday, including measures requiring cursive writing instruction and a civics education mandate. The discussions reflect a broader legislative effort to shape Wisconsin’s education system.
