LANSING (WWJ) -- Lawmakers in Lansing on Wednesday approved a bill that would ban cell phone use from public school classrooms in Michigan.
That bill failed by just three votes last July — well, it came back up today," WWJ's Tim Pamplin reported. "There's been a few tweaks in the language, but by and large, it's the same bill.
"The bill has many teachers and administrators saying, 'finally'," Pamplin said. A recent Pew Research study indicated that 75% of American parents support such legislation.
Under House Bill 4141, K-12 public school students will be prohibited from using smartphones during instruction time. However, they may still use their devices during non-instruction time between classes and during lunch — allow students an opportunity to coordinate after-school activities.
The legislation includes a few other exemptions: old-style "dumb phones" and flip phones are still allowed. There's also a medical exception and an exception for emergencies. [Read the bill HERE].
“Every parent knows that phones are addictive devices. We’ve got to give kids their childhood back,” said Tisdel, R-Rochester Hills said, in a news release.
Novi Schools Superintendent Ben Mainka told Pamplin that, a few years back, they adopted their own policy because something just had to change.
"We recognize that our students learning how to interact with each other and learning how to interact with content in the curriculum is our primary goal," Mainka said. "And so cell phones and other screens have to be able to take a backseat to that.
This bill passed with 99 votes in favor to 10 against, with one rep. not voting. The legislation now heads to the Senate for consideration.
It is expected to pass, and then head to Gov. Gretchen Whitmer's desk for her signature.
"There's some chatter up in Lansing that the governor might like to get this on her desk before the next State of the State address in the next month or so," Pamplin said.
The legislation does not prevent schools from implementing their own stricter cell phone use policy.