A succinct bill introduced this week could spark an uproar among Vermont teens if signed into law — it bans cell phones during school hours.
Rep. Michael Marcotte, R/D-Coventry, introduced the bill, which was sent to the House Committee on Education yesterday. It requires school boards to put policies in place to prohibit cell phone use in school, but it allows them to make “reasonable exceptions” outside of the classroom and during the classroom if teachers are using them for instructional purposes.
Marcotte told the Times Argus that he drafted the bill in response to complaints that students are using cell phones to bully other students and cheat on tests.
Steve Dale, executive director of the Vermont School Boards Association, doesn’t support the legislation.
“We understand that sponsors of the bill were trying to be responsive to concerns they’ve heard in their schools,” Dale said. “But we need to help students understand how to effectively and appropriately use technology instead of denying them availability.”
The parameters of cell phone use should be determined at the school level, and many school boards already these policies in place, Dale added.
Correction: Marcotte is an R/D, not an independent representative.
