Indiana lawmakers are now proposing new laws that would take the existing classroom cell phone ban even further — mandating students lock up or leave behind all personal devices, including phones, smartwatches, and laptops, for the entire school day. This would prevent students from accessing their devices not just during class, but during breaks, lunch, and emergencies.

We are urging Indiana legislators — including Rep. Jake Teshka, Sen. Jeff Raatz, and Sen. Greg Goode — to oppose any legislation that extends the current classroom ban into a bell-to-bell ban on student devices.

Let’s be clear: meaningful limits on phones during instruction are already working. Students and teachers report fewer classroom distractions, better social interaction, and improved academic performance — all while still allowing for reasonable flexibility. Teachers retain the discretion to incorporate technology when it makes sense for learning. Students can keep their phones in backpacks. Parents can reach their children if needed. And each school district can choose the approach that best fits their unique needs.

But a total ban goes too far. Locking up devices from the start to the end of the school day:

• Creates serious safety and communication concerns for families during emergencies
• Disrespects local control by forcing one-size-fits-all rules on every school
• Risks increased classroom delays and theft concerns due to storage logistics
• Pushes students to rely solely on school-issued devices — which they may not learn best on, and which still carry distractions of their own

Even students themselves are saying the quieter, more flexible policies already in place work better. “I think schools can handle it at their own discretion,” said one Indiana high schooler. “I don’t know why there needs to be a law for it.”

We agree. Lawmakers should support schools — not micromanage them. Let educators teach. Let families stay connected. And let schools decide the best way to balance learning and technology.

Tell Indiana lawmakers: no to a bell-to-bell device ban. Keep decisions about student phones where they belong — in local schools, not state law.