Senate committee passes Seifried bills to prohibit cellphones in schools, move school board elections

OKLAHOMA CITY – The Senate Education Committee on Tuesday passed legislation to eliminate distractions in the classroom by prohibiting students from using their cellphones during the school day.

Sen. Ally Seifried, R-Claremore successfully passed Senate Bill 139 to empower all public K-12 districts to craft their own policies for restricting cell phones from “bell to bell,” or for the entire school day.

"Today, the Senate took a critical first step toward creating distraction-free classrooms where students can focus on their education,” Seifried said. “By prohibiting cellphones from ‘bell to bell,’ we are prioritizing students' mental health and academic success. Senate Bill 139 gives districts flexibility to tailor policies to meet their unique needs while ensuring a focused and engaging academic environment for every child. It’s beyond time to eliminate classroom distractions and get back to learning. Our kids can’t wait any longer.”

Seifried has worked on this issue for the past two years, and she introduced SB 139 after co-hosting a two-day interim study in the fall that showed how cellphone use at school is hurting students’ academic outcomes and contributing to widespread mental health problems.

The Senate Education Committee also passed Seifried’s Senate Bill 6 to move school board elections so they align with the general election in November.

“Voter turnout in many school board races is abysmal because of the off-cycle timing of these elections,” Seifried said. “Senate Bill 6 increases awareness of these important elections so more voters can have a say in the future of their local schools.”

The full Senate passed similar legislation from Seifried last year, but it stalled in the House.

Seifried’s SB 139 and SB 6 are now eligible to be heard by the full Senate.

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For more information, contact: Sen. Seifried at (405) 521-5555 or Ally.Seifried@oksenate.gov