Bill banning use of cell phones in Kentucky classrooms without teacher permission advances

A bill that would prohibit the use of cellphones in Kentucky classrooms without teacher permission was unanimously approved by the House of Representatives Tuesday.

House Bill 208 sponsored by Rep. Josh Bray was approved 98-0, and now goes to the full Senate.

If passed, the bill would bring changes to Fayette County Public Schools. The district currently allows each school’s decision-making council to decide how cellphones are handled on their campuses and in their classrooms, district spokesperson Dia Davidson-Smith has said.

House Bill 208 would require all school districts in Kentucky to adopt a policy that would, at a minimum, prohibit the use of cell phones during instructional school hours except in the case of emergencies. It also would prohibit social media from being accessed on school devices.

“Cell phones have been a growing problem in our schools for many years now,” Bray, a Mount Vernon Republican, said Tuesday in a news release.

“Many states and school district across the country have proactively implemented policies to reduce the classroom management burden on teachers caused by cell phones. In fact, several school districts in our state have implemented their own cell phone bans or management policies. This legislation would require all public school to create policies that prohibit the usage of cell phones in schools.,” Bray said.

“ If we are serious about improving our student outcomes, we should start by eliminating major classroom disruptors, such as cell phones, from our schools.”

This story was originally published March 12, 2025 at 10:29 AM.