Gov. Abbott signs bill banning cell phones in schools

AMARILLO, Texas (KFDA) - Governor Greg Abbott was in Amarillo today alongside Representative Caroline Fairly to sign House Bill 1481 into law.

The bill bans the use of cell phones at Texas school districts.

Representative Fairly presented this bill to the Texas Legislature in an effort to reduce distractions and increase focus in the classroom.

“Whether it be reading what they’re supposed to be reading, writing what they’re supposed to be writing, listening and interacting with a teacher or listening and interacting with other students. Those are the components that lead to a more robust absorption by the student,” said Governor Abbott.

The signing happened at AmTech, and Governor Abbott says this supports his mission to make the Texas public education system number one in both safety and education in the country.

“Both of them work towards that,” said Gov. Abbott. “Part of the safety is getting kids away from things that could be occurring over the course of social media.”

The bill allows each school district to determine what policy is best for its students and teachers.

“So the principle of the bill is just that it can’t be out,” said Fairly. “So, a backpack would be permissible, a pouch can be, a box, whatever the school districts decides what it wants to implement. They can script their own policy.”

House Bill 1481 will go into effect this school year.