Oregon schools may soon see cellphone ban in classrooms

Published 9:00 am Saturday, March 29, 2025

After years of public debate, an Oregon-wide school cellphone ban soon may be a reality.

On Wednesday, March 26, the House Committee on Education held a public hearing on House Bill 2251, which proposes a ban of cellphones in K-12 classrooms across the state.

The bill would require public school districts to establish a cell phone ban policy with reasonable exemptions for students who require electronic devices for their individualized education plan. Districts that fail to comply would be considered non-standard.

Sponsored bySen. Lisa Reynolds, D-Portland, and Reps. Kim Wallan, D-Medford, and April Dobson, D-North Clackamas, the bill was making its way to a Monday, April 7, hearing of the House Education Committee, as of press time.

“We agreed that we should do something to try and address the use of cell phones by students in schools. At the time we started talking about that only two states had done that, Florida and Indiana, and we modeled our bill after that somewhat,” Wallan said during the hearing.

State legislatures across the country are weighing in on the role of cell phones and personal electronic devices in schools. Some of the largest school districts in the country, such as Los Angeles Unified School District, have already established complete restrictions on cellphone use in the classroom.

The Oregon Department of Education put out guidance last year to guide districts in shaping cell phone policy restrictions ahead of anticipated legislation. So far, nine states have passed cell phone bans that have or will go into effect, including California.

Many of Oregon’s school districts, such as Portland Public Schools and the Lake Oswego School District, have established an “off and away” policy at the school board level, giving teachers an administration-reinforced tool to take phones from students who may be texting or scrolling during school hours.

Some teachers and students oppose an outright statewide ban and think that less restrictive policies, such as hanging cell phone caddies, are just as effective and not as punitive. Some educators worry that restrictions in school create unrealistic expectations for what the rest of the world is like, where cell phones are a normal part of day-to-day life.

“What if I told you we had a school policy that improves academic performance, it improves youth mental health and it improves school attendance? Well, HB 2251 will accomplish all three and has no fiscal (impact),” said Reynolds, during the hearing. “Let’s not be complicit with this addiction to social media. Let’s help our students thrive and climb out of the mental health holes that we’re in.”