Sen. Paul Thomas, R-Velva. (Michael Achterling/North Dakota Monitor)
(. North Dakota Monitor)- A bill prohibiting cellphone use by North Dakota students during the school day failed in the Senate on a 26-19 vote.
House Bill 1160, sponsored by Rep. Jim Jonas. R-West Fargo, would have prohibited student cellphone use from “bell-to-bell,” including class time and unstructured time in between classes for the entire school day. It would cover cellphones, bluetooth-enabled devices, smart watches and other wearable devices capable of voice, text and other data transfers between students.
Students would also have been required to store their devices in a locked box or pouch so they would remain inaccessible in between classes.
Sen. Paul Thomas, R-Velva, who voted against the bill, said school districts can already implement bans on phone use during the school day.
