BISMARCK – The North Dakota House of Representatives has passed a bill requiring school districts to create policies regarding the use of cell phones in schools, which is now waiting on Senate approval.

The Senate has similar legislation in its chamber, awaiting a vote, which lays a requirement on districts to minimize or prohibit wireless communication devices, leaving a broader interpretation open.

These bills, if they become law, would mandate that school districts adopt policies regarding the use of cell phones throughout the school day, and in the case of the Senate bill, it gives them until Jan. 1, 2026, to do so.

Students, educators, parents and citizens from mostly southern and eastern North Dakota submitted testimony to legislators. Many called cell phones distracting or problematic, but others cited their helpfulness to families and educators. Several testimonies called the Senate bill empowering for local administrators and teachers.

Mike McNeff, Rugby Public School superintendent, had a plan in his school to use special phone bags, locked by magnets, to keep students from accessing their phones. The bags were scheduled to arrive three weeks into the school year, and instead of taking phones away from students who already had them, McNeff said the district banned phones altogether from the start.

While he worried about the difficulty of regulation initially, he said the district was very clear to students and families, and he had everyone from the staff, including non-teaching staff, on board.

“If we’re going to do this, then everybody in the district is doing it. We’re all on the same page, and it doesn’t matter if the custodian sees it or the food service worker; they all have to be on the same page,” he said.

Speaking of the device bags, he said, “I don’t think you need them … Some kids use them.” He said the students know they aren’t supposed to have devices, and most of them leave their phones at home. The students risk an in-school suspension by using devices any time of the school day. The reason for being so strict, McNeff said, is the tracking of violations for the school’s 300 or so students gets messy, and when the students know the consequences are high, it gets taken seriously.

McNeff said the outright ban within the school has sparked more personal interaction among the students. Previously, he said, students were reaching into their pockets to see what social media notification was coming their way instead of paying attention to their teachers and talking to each other more.

“Which is, I think, what we want in the world,” he said.

He said phones have had a positive impact on student’s mental health, and the pressure to respond to their phones has been removed. He also has heard positive feedback from parents saying it’s been a nice break from social media. When accreditation inspectors came to the school for a six year review, he said, “They couldn’t believe what they were seeing.” He said his students have been more vibrant.

McNeff said he’s a big supporter of local control, and he would like to see local districts develop policies that fit them. He said an outright ban for every school might not be the best option.

In case of an emergency, McNeff said, Rugby has a phone in every classroom, keeping it “old school,” and teachers still have their phones, though they don’t use them around students.

Minot takes a different approach, with each school developing its own policy, according to Superintendent Dr. Scott Faul.

Within the district, Faul said, some teachers have embraced technology and incorporated cell phones into classes, using QR codes to generate quizzes.

At Minot high schools, many teachers have developed an “I don’t want to see and and I don’t want to hear it” attitude, he said. They mandate phones be out of sight in their classrooms.

The middle schools in Minot have a phone-free policy during class time.

Middle schoolers can use their phones in common areas in Minot’s schools, such as cafeterias and hallways, Faul said. In addition to classroom restrictions, each school in the district bars the use of phones in private areas, such as locker rooms and restrooms.

The impact of phones on students’ attention to teachers has caused some teachers to use techniques such as placing shoe racks on the back of their doors for phones.

Faul said he’s received positive feedback in the middle schools from both students and teachers about the policies restricting phone use. Faul has a daughter in middle school, and he said he’s seen a change in her attitude toward her phone. Forgetting a phone at home no longer is a big deal. This is the attitude Rugby’s students have shown as a whole, McNeff said.

Faul said while cell phones are a huge distraction, every situation is a little different.

“We have to consider all of it,” he said.

For instance, he brought up diabetic students and their use of cell phones to monitor their blood glucose levels, which lawmakers also are considering in bill amendments.

Faul explained if lawmakers in Bismarck were to pass the law, the Minot district would develop policy with recommendations from legal counsel. He said the School Boards Association, N.D. United and the Council for Educational Leaders usually get together when laws are put into place to ensure districts are meeting the letter of the law.