- Utah lawmakers advance SB69 limiting cellphone use during school hours, backed by Gov. Spencer Cox.
- Lawmakers passed a similar bill limiting phones during class time last year.
- Sen. Kathleen Riebe opposed it, citing government overreach.
SALT LAKE CITY — A proposal championed by the governor to limit cellphones throughout the school day is moving quickly through the Utah Legislature.
SB69, sponsored by Sen. Lincoln Fillmore, R-South Jordan, passed out of the Senate Education Committee on Wednesday, 6-1, after multiple public comments in favor of setting a default policy of banning phones at schools from the "opening bell to the closing bell."
"These devices that we call phones are in fact phones and casinos and adult movie theaters, and televisions and radios (and) universities," Fillmore said. "There's so much that a phone can do, most of which does not belong in a school."
Speaking at the committee hearing, Fillmore insisted his bill is not a ban since school districts would still be allowed to set their own policies, but it would establish the "default as a no." He also said there would be exceptions for students to use phones in cases of emergency, to use the SafeUT Crisis Line or "to address a medical necessity."
"The bill empowers the school districts to craft the policy that is right for every school district," Fillmore said, "but to do so in a way that frames the question as how can we integrate this technology into our education to make it more meaningful and more helpful so that students and families can thrive?"
Several public commenters spoke in support of the bill, including Liddy Johnson, a senior at Northridge High School in Layton and daughter of Corinne Johnson, founder and president of Utah Parents United. Having experienced school with and without a smartphone, the high school student said it's a no-brainer.
"Even just having a phone makes it more difficult to stay focused in class," she said. "My attention is more divided, and I see the same thing in my peers. The second classes end, everybody is straight on their phones, and they aren't staying engaged in school."
Not everyone on the committee was on board with Fillmore's proposal. Sen. Kathleen Riebe, D-Cottonwood Heights, called it government overreach before casting the lone "nay" vote.
"I, for one, trust parents, and parents are buying their kids these phones," she said. "I think this is heavy-handed, I trust my parents and I trust school districts."
The bill was touted by Gov. Spencer Cox as one of his main priorities ahead of the legislative session. Lawmakers passed a similar ban on devices during class time last year, but the governor said he felt the state was falling behind by not limiting their use throughout the school day.
When asked about exemptions for medical issues or emergencies during an interview with KSL on Tuesday, the governor said those instances would be "few and far between."
"We can work to make those happen," he said, "but the principle is sound."
The bill would take effect July 1 if it passes the Legislature and is signed by the governor.
A separate bill introduced by Fillmore this year, SB88, would require schools that permit students to use electronic devices to allow parents to monitor their child's device use. That bill also passed the committee 3-1, with Riebe voting against.
Both proposals now head to the full Senate for consideration.
