The Legislature moved one step closer to banning cellphones in Mississippi schools last week.
State Senators Briggs Hopson (R-Riverside Pawn) and Joseph Seymour (R- Marcello's) introduced SB #2099. The bill mandates
Each public school district, public charter school and agricultural high school, the Mississippi Schools for the Deaf and the Blind, the Mississippi School of the Arts, and the Mississippi School for Mathematics and Science shall, no later than January 1, 2027, adopt and send to the State Department of Education a specific policy banning the possession, or restricting the use, of cell phones by students during class or while under the supervision and control of a school employee.
If a school district does not implement such a policy, it will lose a day's worth of funding for each day after January 1, 2027.
The bill provides medical exceptions for students. The cellphone can be used in case of emergency or threat of danger. The legislation allows schools to suspend students for cellphone violations:
(3) Students may be suspended or expelled from attendance at school for sufficient cause; however, in no case may sufficient cause for suspension or expulsion consist of only a violation of the cell phone possession and use policy developed and implemented under this section, except that suspension may be used as a disciplinary measure of last resort.
The Senate unanimously passed the bill on February 5 and sent it to the House of Representatives. The bill is double referred to the Education Committee and Accountability, Efficiency, & Transparency Committee. History and text of bill.
18 states banned cellphones in schools. Only three Southeaster states do not have cellphone bans for their public schools: Mississippi, Georgia, and North Carolina.
Kingfish note: Ban them. Period. Allow for reasonable exceptions but the phones have no place in school.
42 comments:
Pope wanted to ban Bibles. The printing press was evil. Can't be using new technology to educate people. Gotta stay stuck in the past.
My niece and nephew were not allowed to use their phone for any reason or at any time during the school day. parents didn't complaint nor did the students (after a few days the freshman year). They had zero issues with phones out in class, stupid pranks or fights in order to make content, etc. There is no good argument to continue to allow phones. And equating banning phones in schools to banning the printing press is just ignorant.
lame troll. do better
Now if we could just stop the irresponsible as*hole fools from texting while driving and running stop lights. How are those laws working out?
A few years ago, I spoke to an AP-level class in a public high school. I have done this numerous times, but I vowed never to do it again in a public school, unless cell phones were banned. I stopped twice mid-speech, and no student noticed because they were busy scrolling, texting, eating chips, and drinking sodas.
I am glad this bill is being considered. The educators should implement this on their own, but several have told me, "What can we do? They will bring their phones anyway, and they need to have contact with their parents!"
Why do they need to have contact with their parents during school hours? Are you not crippling their maturity by allowing that?
Sometimes the legislators have to tell people how to do their jobs.
RMQ
@9:40 That's a laughable take, are you a cell phone carrier lobbyist? There's other more controlled ways of using technology in class like. Kid's are just using their phones to doom scroll, message friends and disrupt class.
They should ban them in cars. About 80% or more of drivers have the phone in their hand while driving and weaving or sitting at a green light holding up traffic.
My daughter goes to Brandon Middle School. She turns hers off and doesn't turn it on again until after school. I believe they can't have them out during the school day.
This is the dumbest thing to come from the state legislature! Will teachers and principals also be band?? What happens if a student gets caught with a phone?? Will they goto prison? Pay a fine? I was in school before iPhones and it was always something that people felt should be be ban! This is stupid and a waste of time
He’s right the Pope did want to ban the bible!
They need to put cameras in the class room to monitor teachers and staff to be sure they are doing their job
"What can we do? They will bring their phones anyway, and they need to have contact with their parents!" Snowflake educators. They need to be removed along with the phones.
There needs to be some built in exceptions here.....my daughter is in a high tech video production class in high school, and that's maybe the one class where in a classroom context being able to use the near-professional-grade phone camera that they all already have makes sense, but currently and stupidly they won't let them.
The teachers and principals are in bands? Who knew?
There was a time they wanted to ban Superman comics books because they thought it encouraged kids to jump off the roof of a house thinking they could fly. Their seems they always want to ban something
Is it the children who need to have contact with their parents, or parents who can't stand to be separated from their children?
Let’s just ban cars
Ban them.
Maybe kids can finally cut the umbilical cord and be allowed to grow in confidence and decision making skills without parents doing everything for them.
Hey 1019 AM- Did you not read February 9, 2026 at 9:55 AM's post??? You think this is acceptable behavior??? He coulda walked outta that class room & the kids wouldn't have even noticed...I remember when Radio Shack calculators 1st came out & they were not allowed in our class rooms...I'm 70 yrs old & still know my multiplication tables...Do you?
10:27 AM Kids did have contact with parents befor cell phone and the society was better than.
Phones should be ban when state legislators are in session oh wait that will never happen kids can’t vote and they know what’s best for them
Do it!
How else are teachers going to groom students for sex if the students can’t have cellphones?
Separation anxiety is a terrible thing.
Go where they are. Use new technology to educate. But no, lets make them sit still for six hours and use antiquated teaching methods.
Hmm 🤔 im guessing the boomers in the legislature won’t ban smart watches so kids will just keep their phones in those backpack thingies and use their smart watches instead.
Student cell phones must be absolutely banned from our schools. Those who do not work in a school have no clue as to the problems they cause. They should not be allowed for students anywhere on a school campus. PERIOD.
Get rid of cell phones in schools. Phones do everything to disrupt focus and learning.
Or work it from the other end: Reinstate accountability for grades - failing and being held back or kicked out.
I don't think cell phones have a place in schools, so I'm glad my local district doesn't allow them. Why make a state law, though? Why not just make a district rule and allow a district or school to do what fits their situation and their community?
You sound like a grumpy old man.
Society as a whole is horribly addicted to "smart phones." You've got idiots driving down the road, swerving like drunks, staring at their phones as they cause another wreck. Kids staring at phones, adults, all ages. Hours and hours a day, life ticking away, mindless scrolling, texting, reacting. Data is just starting to come out - the damage phones do to our brains, attention spans, mental well-being, etc. Smartphones today are like cigarettes of the past - we know they are bad for you, but nothing has been done... yet! Support this bill 100%. Next, should be treating bird-brained phone-drivers like DUI's. They are just as dangerous as drunk drivers.
When you were in school did you walk 6 miles in the snow uphill both ways to school?
Better yet, ban the drivers that are idiots.
@1:09 PM
No, we had a “mule” named Moses to pull us in a wagon!
When cellphones are outlawed, only outlaws will have them.
Shit, just outlaw all cell phones period.
The top school districts already give them all iPads and the kids know how to hack around the content blockers before the first day is out. Its like a contest every fall.
Why wait a year? Do you wait to take your kids phone when they tell you to go F yourself! Just my example.
11:32 sounds like a grumpy old man who dares to think kids should learn in school.
So do bullies but schools rarely do anything about them
Did you use a phone to send your comment??
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