Iowa Governor Kim Reynolds held a bill signing event at the Capitol Wednesday for legislation that restricts cell phone use in Iowa classrooms during instructional time. Restricting cell phone use in classrooms was a priority for Gov. Reynolds this legislative session. The final version of the legislation , signed by the Governor, directs the Iowa Department of Education to develop model policies governing student use of personal electronic devices and distribute them to school districts, accredited nonpublic schools, charter schools and innovation zone schools. Local school boards will ultimately adopt their own policies, but they must meet many requirements set by the state that restrict the use of electronic devices during classroom instructional time. They include setting up policies for how electronic devices will be securely stored during class, how parents and students can communicate during emergency situations, and specifying disciplinary actions for students’ use of electronic devices that violate the policy. School districts must have their policies in place by July 1st.
