CHARLOTTE — Legislators in North Carolina are looking to crack down on students being distracted in schools. A new bill filed this week could ban phones and laptops in North Carolina classrooms, with a few exceptions.
Senate Bill 55 was filed Wednesday, and it has bipartisan support.
If the bill is signed into law, it would require schools to establish wireless communications policies prohibiting students from using, displaying, or having a “wireless communication device” during instructional time.
The bill carves out exceptions for emergencies, health care, or if the devices are used for education programs.
Legislators said the policies would apply to “cellular telephones, tablet computers, laptop computers, paging devices, two-way radios, [and] gaming devices.”
The bill doesn’t outline specific consequences for violating the policy but says it may “include confiscation” of the device.
Channel 9 reported in 2023 when Charlotte-Mecklenburg Schools announced a crackdown on students using phones in class. Superintendent Crystal Hill said the district already has a policy in the code of conduct about students having phones out. The code of conduct calls for the student’s phone or device to be confiscated and locked up in the office for a first offense.
[ PREVIOUS COVERAGE: CMS to ban student cellphone use during class this year ]
“Principals have the opportunity to provide flexibility for students to use them during lunch, class change, whenever,” Hill told Channel 9′s Jonathan Lowe. “But during the instructional day, cellphones should not be used, and that is something that we’re pushing forward.”
If made law, the new rules would apply starting with the 2025-2026 school year.
VIDEO: School districts crack down on cellphone usage in classrooms
This browser does not support the video element.