Republican New Hampshire Gov. Kelly Ayotte announced Thursday a plan to ban cellphone use in schools.
She stated her intentions in her inaugural address, along with a number of other issues. According to Transcript.
“Screens are negatively impacting the learning environment, distracting students from class, and disrupting teachers’ work. No more,” Ayotte said. She posted a statement on X.
Today, I am also announcing that we will be taking steps to ban the use of mobile phones in schools.
Screens negatively impact the learning environment, distract students from the lesson, and become a barrier to teachers’ work, but that’s no longer the case.
— Kelly Ayotte (@KellyAyotte) January 9, 2025
The governor did not elaborate further on the proposed ban in his speech.
Ayotte said “tough conversations” are needed about how to best prepare high school students for their future careers. “We have done a disservice to struggling students by pushing away students who don’t understand the material at hand. The longer this problem goes on, the bigger it will snowball. We cannot allow them to lower their standards, because it is the students who are paying the price for not wanting to have the tough conversations about whether they are truly ready for the next step,” she said.
“I couldn’t be more optimistic about our future. I am ready to meet our challenges head-on and work together to serve all of New Hampshire,” Ayotte wrote on social media. Ta.
Thank you for the once-in-a-lifetime privilege of serving as your governor.
I couldn’t be more optimistic about our future. We are ready to meet our challenges head-on and work together to serve all of New Hampshire. pic.twitter.com/ky5KdQrgqu
— Kelly Ayotte (@KellyAyotte) January 9, 2025
Other states have taken similar measures against cell phone use in classrooms. Republican Virginia Gov. Glenn Youngkin issued an executive order in July calling for limiting or removing such devices in K-12 public schools. “This important action will promote a healthier, more engaged educational environment where all children can learn freely. An educational environment free of cell phones and social media in Virginia’s K-12 education system. will benefit students, parents and educators,” Youngkin said in a press release. (Related: ‘Distracting’: School locks phones as kids struggle to pay attention in class)
In June, the Los Angeles Unified School District (LAUSD) Board of Governors voted to ban students from using cell phones during school hours. The ban, issued by the nation’s second-largest school district, updates an earlier directive issued in 2011 that prohibited students from using cell phones only during school hours.
