Lawmakers from the Senate Education committee advanced a proposed bill on Monday that would require all school districts and charter schools to adopt a policy banning students from using their cell phones during the school day.
If Senate Bill 23 is passed, districts would need to implement this policy beginning next school year, starting with middle schools in the first year, high schools in the second and elementary schools in the third year.
The policy requires that schools enforce the ban and provide consequences for violations, which will be up to each district to decide. They would also decide whether phones are banned the entire day or allowed during breaks like lunch.
The bill includes $1 million for the purchase of locked phone pouches or storage lockers.
Sen. Natalie Figueroa (D-Albuquerque) is a Spanish language teacher, who supported the bill and appreciates there is a medical exception for students.
“Last year, I had a student whose cell phone was his glucose monitor. So in class, it was in his line of sight at all times, and he could tell me, ‘I need to go get a snack’ when his sugar dropped. I didn't have to wait until he had a seizure in my classroom,” she said.
Cell phone bans are becoming more common across the country. Florida was the first to enact statewide laws in 2023 and one district saw students’ test scores and attendance improve after the second year of the policy.
Some New Mexico lawmakers debated the need for a statewide policy since some schools have already created cell phone bans without legislation.
Yvonne Garcia, deputy secretary for the division of student support services in the Public Education Department, said of the 188 school districts in the state, 98 districts already have a cell phone ban in place.
The committee passed the bill 7-to-2 and it now goes to the Senate Judiciary Committee.
Support for this coverage comes from the W.K. Kellogg Foundation.
