Texas House takes first step towards banning cellphones in public classrooms

AUSTIN, Texas - The Texas House on Wednesday advanced a bill that would require a secure, out-of-sight area to keep phones during instructional times.

House Bill 1481 sailed through the House on Wednesday on a 136-10 vote.

Amarillo Republican Rep. Caroline Fairly, the bill's author, said restricting cellphones in classrooms can lead to higher test scores and help teachers better manage their classrooms while improving mental health in students.

"We are targeting being sure that our kids go to school to focus on academics, but we also protect them," Fairly said on a recent episode of Texas: The Issue Is. "You know, the amount of cyberbullying that's being cited in these schools is it's gone up so much more."

Around 20 or 25 school districts already have a ban on cellphones in classrooms, according to Fairly. She said the bill allows for individual school districts to determine the proper consequences for not following the rule.

The other side:

Opponents of taking away cellphones from students worry about communication with their child in the event of an emergency.

Fairly has previously suggested that kids on their phones during an emergency like a school shooting could make them targets because they're making noise.

What's next:

The bill now heads to the Senate where it can be debated in committee and voted to the Senate floor for debate.