Gov. Mike DeWine is backing a measure that would ban cell phone use in Ohio’s public schools less than a year after he signed legislation requiring schools to limit cell phone use in the classroom.
Senate Bill 158 would require the Buckeye State’s public schools to update their cell phone policies by Sept. 1 to ban cell phone use starting with the 2025-26 school year in the fall.
Ohio Sen. Jane Timken, R-Jackson Township, introduced the legislation earlier this month. It incorporates language that the governor included in the executive budget he unveiled in February. The proposal, which has been referred to the Ohio Senate Education Committee, contains exceptions, such as for students who use a cell phone to monitor a health concern or for a documented purpose as part of an Individualized Education Program.
“It’s clear that we need to get cell phones out of our classrooms,” DeWine said in a release. “The constant distraction of cell phones makes it nearly impossible for students to focus and learn. Not only do they negatively impact student performance, but they can also be harmful to kids’ mental and emotional health.
“In schools that have already banned phones, we’ve heard from teachers, administrators, and parents who say the results have been remarkable. Student engagement has improved. Grades are better. Socialization is improving,” the Republican governor added. “It’s rare that one change can have such a positive difference. That’s why it’s time to make Ohio schools phone free.”
Dublin City Schools Superintendent John Marschhausen joined DeWine for a Tuesday news conference that included Timken, First Lady Fran DeWine, and former Second Lady Tina Husted.
State officials specifically highlighted Dublin City Schools, saying the school district has led the charge to remove cell phones from classrooms.
“We’ve had near-unanimous support from our parents for banning cell phones from our schools,” Marschhausen said in a release. “As we’ve had meetings recently, our Business Advisory Council has talked about the importance of graduating students who can work and be successful without having a device in their hands.
“This legislation also opens up conversations with moms and dads, with grandmas and grandpas, because what we do in school from 7:30 to 2:30 isn’t enough,” Marschhausen added. “Making sure our students are safe on their phones takes all of us working together.”
School districts that adopt a policy after the change takes effect must do so at a public board meeting. Districts must also make any policy changes they adopt publicly available and post them on their websites if they have one.
The legislation follows House Bill 250, which lawmakers approved last year.
The earlier measure gave Ohio’s public schools until July 1 to adopt policies pertaining to students’ cell phone use during school hours. The policies must limit student use as much as possible during school hours and reduce classroom use-related distractions.
DeWine signed the measure into law in May 2024, saying in a release at the time that the new law would allow school districts to “create the policies that work best in their environments and for their students.”
“When phones are within reach, our children are constantly wondering, ‘What am I missing? What notification did I miss?’” Timken said in a release. “This does not provide for a conducive learning environment, and also has damaging social effects," Timken said..
“This legislation is a common sense approach to unplug our children from the constant distractions that they have in the classroom,” he added. “It will reduce those distractions and will facilitate the building of the interpersonal relationships that are so vital to human development.”
