New Hampshire may yet enact the sweeping ban on cellphones in public schools that Gov. Kelly Ayotte wants. But what seemed all but inevitable two weeks ago — when the New Hampshire House voted overwhelmingly to enact a so-called “bell to bell” prohibition on phones in schools — remains unresolved. That’s despite a Thursday deadline for lawmakers to reach a compromise, or else ditch the idea of a phone ban until next year.
“A couple of issues have come up that I need to check on, “ Sen. Ruth Ward of Stoddard told colleagues as she opened — and then immediately recessed — the negotiating session on the cellphone ban Tuesday.
That leaves legislative negotiators with only one day to take up their competing versions of the cell phone ban: the House-backed policy that Ayotte favors, and the Senate’s version that would give local school districts discretion to craft their own prohibitions on cell phone use.
While a deadline for action looms, the idea of a phone ban in schools has been months in the making. Ayotte first called on lawmakers to ban the devices in her inaugural address in January. She praised the House earlier this month when it voted to ban students from using “cell phones and other personal electronic devices” for the entire school day.
“Screens are a distraction for students and a barrier for teachers to do their jobs,” Ayotte said on June 5. “A bell-to-bell ban on cell phones in the classroom will help kids focus on learning and let teachers do what they do best without being the phone police.”
Ayotte, whose husband teaches middle school math at a Nashua parochial school, has issued two further statements this week urging lawmakers to pass her preferred version of a cell phone ban.
New Hampshire’s consideration of such a ban comes as about a dozen states — including California, Florida, and Virginia — have already taken action. Vermont’s legislature finalized a ban on phones “bell to ball” this week, and other prohibitions are now pending elsewhere.
Ayotte’s office seemed eager to emphasize the national aspect of this debate Tuesday by noting that Jonathan Haidt, author of the best selling book “The Anxious Generation,” supports her version of prohibiting cell phones in schools.
“New Hampshire's policy mandating bell-to-bell device separation will help bring conversation and laughter back to the hallways of schools across the state.” Haidt said in a statement issued by Ayotte’s office. “The one place where we can truly safeguard their developing minds is schools. New Hampshire has an opportunity to give their kids a real-life childhood.”
How persuasive Ayotte’s final push on this issue is remains to be seen, but there is evidence to suggest the public is already onboard.
A UNH Survey Center poll taken last month, found 69% support for requiring New Hampshire school districts ban cell phones in classrooms, with 57% of Democrats, 77% of independents and 78% of Republicans all favoring a ban.
The policy also has the backing of the state’s largest teachers union, the NH-NEA.
Even so, critics of the “bell to bell” ban say it goes too far.
They variously argue that a state-imposed prohibition would rob schools of the chance of using cell phones for academic purposes, and that a sweeping ban amounts to a state mandate that districts would have to spend money to carry out. A third objection is that a “bell to bell” ban may compromise the rights of parents, who see cell phones in school as a way to ensure their children are safe.
Under the ban adopted by the House and that Ayotte favors, the only way a student could have a phone in school would be due to disability or language proficiency issues.
Negotiations on the cell phone ban are slated to resume Thursday at 2 pm, just two hours before the Legislature’s deadline for signing off on any Committee of Conference reports.
