Did cell phones get banned from Florida schools? What to know about the potential new law

Tallahassee Democrat | By C. A. Bridges | May 6, 2025

Florida elementary and middle school students would be banned from using cell phones from “bell to bell” during the school day under a bill passed by the Florida Legislature along partisan lines on Friday, May 2.

High school students would still be permitted to use them during instructional time, but House Bill 1105, an omnibus education bill composed of several previously filed initiatives, also creates a pilot program in six counties to test banning phone use during the entire school day there as well.

In 2023, Florida became the first state to restrict students’ cell phone use during class. Indiana and Ohio soon followed.

Now, states are looking to block mobile phone use entirely, despite critics’ concerns about emergencies — such as shootings — in school. Last week, Iowa Gov. Kim Reynolds signed a law similar to Florida’s current rules, and New York is considering its own total ban.

Does HB 1105 Education ban phones in Florida schools?

If the bill goes into effect, elementary and middle school students may not use any wireless communications device during the school day.

In high school, students would be permitted to use wireless communications devices outside of instructional time or if directed by a teacher solely for educational purposes, in an area the teacher designates.

The bill does not say that students may not carry phones, only that they may not use them.

Exemptions are included for students with medical requirements for the use of a wireless communications device “based on valid clinical reasoning or evidence.”

Meanwhile, the Department of Education is directed to select six school districts representing two small, two medium, and two large counties to enact a school phone ban. By the end of 2026, they must provide a report on the effects of a total phone and tablet ban on student achievement and behavior and create a model policy based on their findings that other school districts and charter schools in Florida can adopt.

Students in those districts would not be permitted to use phones or personal electronic devices during the entire school day, while on school grounds, or while engaged in school activities off school grounds during the school day.

The pilot program’s report must also report on the number of violations that include phone use for illegal activities, bullying, harassment, threatening, cheating, or capturing or displaying images or video of a student during a medical issue or “engaged in misconduct.”

House education bill bans cell phone use, benefits charter schools

The ban was initially the focus of House Bill 949, filed by Rep. Demi Busatta, R-Coral Gables, but that bill was postponed indefinitely last week when language from it was included in the omnibus education bill.

HB 1105 also makes it easier to convert public schools into charter schools by putting the decision to convert solely in the hands of a majority of parents, without input from teachers or administrators.

The bill also adds more benefits for charter schools, such as:

• Allowing municipalities to apply to convert existing public schools into job engine charter schools — privately run charter schools designed to attract “job-producing entities” to the area by creating curricula aligned with their needs — if the school scores less than an “A” from the state for five years in a row
• Requiring school districts to share discretionary surtax revenue with charter schools
• Allowing some private schools to build new facilities without seeking rezoning or adhering to mitigation requirements

A 2023 Pew Research Center analysis found that 72% of the high school teachers surveyed said cellphone usage in classrooms distracts students, although (unsurprisingly) 70% of students ages 13-17 said that phone use was generally more positive than negative and 45% said that smartphones benefited their educational experience. Nearly a quarter of the teens polled said phones made learning more difficult and 30% did not notice a difference.

What states ban cell phone use in schools?

Many other states, including California, Connecticut, Illinois, Iowa, Kansas, New Jersey, New York, Oklahoma, Texas, Washington, and Vermont have either considered or passed student phone use bans in the last couple of years.

However, Arizona Gov. Katie Hobbs vetoed a phone ban last year, saying schools were already handling the issue on their own. According to the Pew study, in 2024, 82% of K-12 teachers in the U.S. said their school or district already had some sort of cellphone policy in place.

Bans in other states range in severity, with some allowing phone use during lunch and in between classes. Some districts require students to bag their phones in sealed pouches or store them in lockers during school hours.

Critics of student phone bans worry that in case of emergencies, including school shootings, immediate communication between students and parents or law enforcement is vital.

“A HUGE debate that comes up in our group is the fear of school shootings,” said Jodie Sherrill, one of the main moderators in the Parenting in a Tech World forum. “Many parents argue they want their child to reach them in that tragic event; the parent wants to reach the child; perhaps they can help get them out, or even just to say “I love you” one last time.”

When would the student phone ban in Florida take effect?

If signed by Gov. Ron DeSantis or allowed to become law without his signature, the bill would take effect on July 1, 2025.