By Teyten Mendez and Emmaline Embrey (Revised on September 20 @ 2:02 PM)

A new law in Texas is changing the way students use their cell phones at school, and it’s sparking conversations in classrooms across Texas schools. Even though we’ve never been allowed to use phones at our school, the new student cell phone policy in Texas is now making rules about phones even stricter for students across the state.

House Bill 1481 was passed on September 1st. The law states a “personal wireless communication device” means any wireless electronic communication device, other than a device provided to students by a school for instructional purposes, capable of transmitting and/or receiving data, including cellular telephones, text messaging devices, laptop computers, and tablet computers. It’s basically saying that you cannot use phones during the school day, from 8:40 to 4:00.

The student cell phone policy is in place for many reasons, but one of the main reasons is safety. Mr. Miller at Alamo Heights Junior School said, “I think a lot of these laws are made for the right reasons. Not to keep kids from having fun, but just to protect them, to help them not be distracted.” This explains that kids at Texas schools might not like this law very much, but it is here for all the right reasons and to keep everyone at schools in Texas safe.

Most people feel that it affects high schools a lot more. Mr. Miller said, “I would think the high school is probably the most affected, just because I think they had a little bit more freedom than we had at the junior school already.” Last year at Alamo Heights High School, they were allowed to have their phones and personal devices like computers and smartwatches out during classes, but now, because of the new law, they are not allowed to have their phones out anymore.

This year at Alamo Heights Junior School, the administration has only contacted 12 parents for the 12 phones that have been confiscated. Of those 12, only 2 have been confiscated twice. Mr. Saldana said, “We pick up the phone, we call the parent, but we give the phone at the end of the day to the student. The second infraction, we call the parent: ‘Your child was using the phone again, so please come and pick it up.’ So the parent has to come and pick it up. And then on the third infraction, we call the parents, and we tell them, ‘Your child is going to check in the phone for five days,’ because that’s the only way that I can make sure that they’re not going to use it, because it’s going to be locked up in the office, and they can’t access it.” Those are the consequences for when you get your phone taken away.

In the end, the new Texas student cell phone policy is changing the way students experience school, especially at the high school level. While many students may not like the stricter rules, the law is meant to limit distractions and keep schools safer. Teachers and administrators believe it will help students focus more on learning instead of their devices. Even though it may take time for everyone to adjust, the law shows how important it is to balance technology use with learning and safety in schools.