(Statehouse) – State Sen. Jean Leising of Oldenburg joined 10 fellow Republicans and eight Democrats in voting against a bill to tighten school cell phone restrictions.
According to Indiana Capital Chronicle, Senate Bill 78, authored by Sen. Jeff Raatz (R-Richmond), passed the chamber 28-19 after a 40-minute floor debate.
The legislation would require all public schools to adopt a ban that prohibits students from using or possessing a wireless communication device during the school day and requires that any teacher-directed use of a device “for educational purposes” occur only on school-supplied devices.
It would also mandate that each district choose between two enforcement models: a “no device policy,” in which students may not bring phones to school at all; or a “secure storage policy,” in which students may bring phones but must store them so they are “inaccessible throughout the school day.”
In voicing her opposition to the measure, Leising questioned why lawmakers were expanding restrictions instead of enforcing existing law.
“I wish that rather than having this bill, we would be addressing how we can fix what we already have in place,” Leising said.
Raatz countered opponents by saying that schools already enforce behavioral rules daily and should not be micromanaged by lawmakers.
“We should not legislate all the way down,” he said. “The bottom line is, the school does it every day and kids — yes, they learn their behavior.”
“They learn because of the restrictions that are set in place,” Raatz continued. “You can’t have (the device) — and if you have it, you’re going to get in trouble.”
Raatz represents Senate District 27, which includes portions of Franklin County.
The legislation will be reviewed next by the House.
(Network Indiana also contributed to this story)
