Indiana Governor Mike Braun signed Senate Enrolled Act 78 on Wednesday, launching a new ‘bell-to-bell’ restriction that changes how schools manage personal devices. Braun says the law clears classroom distractions so students can focus and teachers can teach.
“This law supports teachers in the classroom and helps students build better habits at a time when constant distraction is affecting learning and mental health, with common-sense exceptions for emergencies,” Braun said. “Cellphones, smartwatches, and gaming devices have become major sources of distraction during the school day.”
The law directs schools to update their wireless policies to ensure those devices stay off-limits during class, though it keeps common-sense exceptions for emergencies.
Braun points to this move as a way to protect the momentum Indiana is already seeing in its classrooms. The state hit an all-time high graduation rate of 92%, and last year, fourth-grade literacy rankings have reached their highest point ever at 6th in the country.
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Just what we need, another “one size fits all” solution. Not all kids misuse their phones during the day, many of them actually use it to coordinate after school clubs, but now all kids will be punished by an idiotic law that imposes a blanket mandate.