The State of Oklahoma passed a law about cell phone usage in schools, and students are divided on how they feel about it.
During the 2025 Legislative Session, Oklahoma legislators passed Oklahoma House of Representatives Bill 1276, titled “Bell to Bell: No Cell,” as a way to reduce classroom distractions. The bill was authored by Rep. Chad Caldwell and passed off the House floor with a vote of 82 to 9 in February.
In keeping with the state law, Duncan Public Schools passed its own cell phone policy, no allowing student cell phone usage from the time they walk into the school building until they leave. At Duncan Middle School, cell phones are kept in students’ lockers until the end of the day and extends to head phones and wireless earbuds, including Apple Airpods.
“It helps kids learn more, so they aren’t distracted,” seventh-grader Lexi Ramirez said. “Some people don’t learn because they are too addicted to phone screens.”
Oklahoma isn’t the only state to have a cell phone law for schools. Similarly, Texas also passed a cell phone law in its 2025 Legislative Session.
According to Ballotopedia, 38 states have enacted cell phone policies or laws about cell phone usage in schools, as of November. Additionally, 28 states have cell phone bans for students. Five states have even required school districts to have cell phone policies.
“School leaders and educators began grappling with the role handheld electronic devices should play in educational spaces in the 1980s, when students brought pagers to schools in increasing numbers,” according to Ballotopedia. “Educators worried the devices could disrupt the classroom and hurt academic performance. Those concerns continued as cellphones and smartphones became widely adopted in later decades, leading districts to set policies on where and when personal devices could be used on campus.”
This school year there is a new law involving cell phones in school. Many people think that schools shouldn’t allow students to have their phones because of how much they distract them from school work. About 26 states have policies or laws to prevent or restrict usage on cell phones in school. There are many factors that cause the no phone law, some being academic distractions, student mental health, and social behavior.
Eighth-grader Tate Carrasco is among the students who doesn’t like the cell phone law.
“Most kids want their cell phones for emergencies,” Carrasco said. “Some people are scared of something happening.”
Carrasco also admitted he doesn’t like the law because he doesn’t get to listen to his music.
For sixth-grader McKinley Russ, the cell phone policy does make sense, although he does have concerns about emergencies.
“It helps them focus,” Russ said.
He said he doesn’t use his cell phone during school hours.
