State Law Impacts Cell Phone Use on Louisiana Public School Campuses

The 2024-25 school year in Louisiana is rapidly approaching and a new law will limit student's cell phone use while on campus.

Our media partners at KATC report that Louisiana Governor Jeff Landry has signed a bill banning students from having cell phones on while in class.

Many states and school districts around the country have been cracking down on cell phone usage in the classrooms and now Louisiana joins other states prohibiting students from being on their phones during instructional time.

Senate Bill 207 reads as such:

"No student shall possess, on his person, an electronic telecommunication device throughout the instructional day. If a student brings an electronic telecommunication device in any public elementary or secondary school building or on the grounds thereof during an instructional day, the electronic device shall either be turned off and properly stowed away for the duration of the instructional day or prohibited from being turned on and used during the instructional day." 

This new law prohibits the use of cell phones during instructional time in the classroom and it requires students to turn off the phone and stow it away.

There are mixed feelings about this new law, but students can still have their phones on them and keep them in their possession while in class. Some parents favor the law to eliminate the distraction, while others worry that if a student needs their phone in the event of an emergency, it will be off.

For years we have debated whether or not a student should be allowed to have their cell phone on them while on campus, and this new law allows them to, but not while being taught in the class.

The cell phone ban in public schools starts this new school year, 2024-25.

Here's the report from KATC with reactions from some parents on this cell phone ban.