The overview
House Bill 1481 requires school districts to adopt policies prohibiting students from using personal wireless communication devices—including cellphones, tablets, smartwatches and any other devices capable of digital communication or telecommunication—on school property during the school day.
Wanda Longoria, secretary-treasurer of the Texas American Federation of Teachers, said she believes a cellphone ban should be carried out deliberately, carefully and in constant communication with parents, educators and administrators.
“Instead, we received a state mandate that reshapes school policies that are being implemented in school districts across the state of Texas in a very scrambled way,” Longoria said.
In July, HISD trustees approved a new policy in line with state regulations prohibiting students from using their devices on school property from the moment they enter the building to the final dismissal bell.
While the policy provides exceptions for students with documented needs such as individualized education plans, Section 504 plans or directives from qualified physicians, HISD Chief Communications Officer Jamie Mount said some concerns have been raised about access to digital learning.
“We hear these concerns and are working with teachers and principals to make sure students have access to devices managed by the district,” Mount said.
- HB 1481: Students must keep devices away or in a backpack during the school day; exceptions can be made for medical and safety reasons.
- HISD: Middle and high school students must keep personal devices in a pocket, backpack, handbag or purse during the school day; elementary students must keep any personal communication devices in a purse, handbag or backpack during the school day; exceptions apply for medical and safety reasons.
According to HISD’s new cellphone policy, students are required to put their devices away when entering the school building and keep them out of sight, turned off or silenced, and unused for the duration of the school day—including during lunch and passing periods.
While HISD elementary students have always had to put their cellphones away, middle and high school teachers could previously choose to allow students to have their phones out during class, Mount said. Under the new policy, all students will be largely held to the same standard.
Mount said she believes many teachers throughout the district believe the ban will help students focus more on school work in the classroom.
“It can be really hard for students to focus on their schoolwork if they are also thinking about text messages, group chats, social media posts, streaming music and entertainment,” Mount said. “With the new law, all schools and teachers will have the same expectations about personal devices, making the rules consistent for all students.”
According to a December 2024 report from The Pew Research Center, increases in social media use correlate with increases in anxiety prevalence for individuals ages 18-25.
- 53% of school leaders feel students’ academic performance is being negatively impacted by cellphone usage.
- 72% of school leaders feel cellphones can have a negative impact on students’ mental health.
- 95% of teens report having access to a smartphone.
- 77% of public schools nationwide have a policy restricting cellphones.
- 38% of teens ages 13-17 say they spend too much time on their phones.
- 150% increase in anxiety prevalence for those ages 18-25 from 2008-22
- 39% increase in social media use for eighth, 10th and 12th graders from 2008-15
- 71.7% decrease in time spent with friends for those ages 15-24 from 2003-20
According to a December 2024 report from the Pew Research Center, most teens use social media and have a smartphone, and nearly half say they’re online almost constantly. While internet access and technology use is rising, HISD Position 5 trustee Elizabeth Shaw said it’s become a necessity for many students due to a largely digital curriculum.During the board’s Aug. 12 meeting, Shaw said the bill could have a negative impact because the district currently has roughly one computer for every two students. She said the district will need to figure out how students will access assignments, take notes, conduct research and complete projects without a consistent and reliable device.
“This has created confusion, disruption and, frankly, inequality,” Shaw said. “The 2-to-1 system may have been manageable before. It’s not now.”
HISD Chief Technology Officer Chris Cummings said while the district does have at least one computer for every two students, some schools are closer to 1-to-1 because officials used campus budgets, Title 1 federal funds, grants and donations to buy additional devices in recent years.
Mount said the district is already in the process of determining how to get the district to a 1-to-1 device policy, noting the cost of achieving that ratio would exceed the cost of purchasing devices.
“Costs and device numbers are being compiled,” Mount said. “For successful implementation, there would be additional costs associated with increasing the capacity of the district Wi-Fi network, supporting more devices and replacing them over time.”
What they're saying
- “Educators and parents, we’re all aware of the many harmful effects that the constant stream has on kids,” Longoria said. “We’ve done some internal surveys from our members, and more of our members do favor a cellphone ban during the instructional day than oppose it.”
- “Say we’re going to lock down—we can’t text our parents, can’t let them know what’s going on,” said Hania Schmonsees, a senior at Kingwood High School. “I mean, obviously they’ll get messages from the district, but they’re not going to get it from their children.”
- “This is state law. This is not law made by the board, not law made by the administration," Shaw said. "It’s what’s coming down from the state, and we are rolling this out [in line with the law]."
- “People are going to be pretty sour about it at first," said Donovan Baker, a senior at Kingwood High School. "But I think, overall, on top of productivity being increased, it’s also going to increase morale for a majority of the students [and] make people feel more interconnected."
Cummings said the district’s technology committee will be considering device usage, instructional needs, costs and funding before bringing more information to the board.
“Any move toward 1-to-1 would require sustainable funding to cover not only initial purchases, but also device replacement, support and connectivity,” Cummings said.
In the meantime, Cummings said devices will be allocated based on instructional programs, grade-level requirements and adherence to the district standard at all campuses.
“We prioritize devices for state testing requirements, specialized instructional programs and classrooms with higher digital curriculum usage,” he said.
