HOUSTON, Texas – The new school year is rapidly approaching, with many school districts in the Houston area set to open their doors in August. This year will bring changes for many districts, as a new Texas law bans the use of cell phones for students in grades K-12 during school hours.
In June, Gov. Greg Abbott signed House Bill 1481 into law. The bill, introduced by Rep. Caroline Fairly, prohibits students from using their cell phones during the school day.
The bill does provide some flexibility for school districts, allowing them to decide whether to allow cellphone use during extracurricular activities. Schools would also be able to decide whether they want to restrict cellphone use by prohibiting students from bringing their devices to school or designating a “secure storage” space for the devices.
The Houston Independent School District, Texas’ largest and the seventh largest in the country, has provided an update on its plans as the school year begins on Aug. 12.
The district says it’s implementing the law by requesting that all devices, including cell phones, tablets, smartwatches, and devices capable of digital communication, be left at home or powered off and stored in backpacks during the instructional day.
Students will not be allowed to use their devices for any reason during the instructional day, meaning no calls, texts, photos, video recording, social media, or internet access. The district added that the devices should not be visible or audible from the time the student arrives on campus until the last period of the day, including lunch and passing periods.
The first offense for a student having their device on during school hours or visible will be for the parents to pick them up after school. The second offense will result in the device being held until the end of the next school day, and the third offense will result in the device being held for two full school days.
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