Lawmakers reject Michigan school phone ban
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Illustration: Sarah Grillo/Axios
Detroit students are headed back to school Monday with rules banning cell phones during class in place, but that's not the case in all Michigan districts.
Why it matters: Cell phones are an obvious distraction for students and teachers, with growing momentum for keeping them out of the classroom.
- Parents are divided on banning them – in case of an emergency.
State of play: Michigan lawmakers of both parties rejected a proposed school cell phone ban last month.
The latest: Rep. Mark Tisdel (R-Rochester Hills), who introduced the bill, tells Axios he remains in contact with Gov. Gretchen Whitmer's office and other Democrats who support the legislation. He will continue pressing for a ban.
- "We will have a statewide standard in Michigan, it's just a question of when," Tisdel says, citing growing public support for cell phone bans. "It will happen."
The big picture: Phone bans have gained traction across Democratic- and Republican-led states in recent years.
Zoom in: Tisdel's proposal would have required school boards to implement local policies prohibiting the use of cell phones during instructional time.
- Middle school and elementary schools would have needed to ban phones during lunch, recess and breaks between classes.
- It would have exempted medically necessary devices and "dumb" phones — those that can't support third-party apps and are mainly used for phone calls.
- Detroit public schools' cell phone policy, last revised in 2021, requires students to power off phones and keep them out of sight during class, unless the teacher allows use for instructional purposes.
The intrigue: Detroit Mayor Mike Duggan, who left the Democratic Party to run for governor as an independent, blamed House Democrats for stonewalling a "good bill" simply to prevent Tisdel, a Republican, from getting credit.
The other side: House Democrats say the bill's failure wasn't political, but just wasn't good policy.
- Sen. Dayna Polehanki (D-Livonia) sponsored competing legislation that passed in the state Senate and excluded different rules for middle and elementary schools — a distinction with which Tisdel is amenable.
- Polehanki said more work is needed for common ground.
The bottom line: Michigan families and teachers will have to wait for any statewide cell phone prohibitions.