Governor Kim Reynolds has called for a statewide cell phone policy for Iowa schools and will unveil the details of her proposal next Tuesday. House Speaker Pat Grassley says lawmakers are most likely to establish a uniform, minimum standard focused on instructional time — when students are in class.
Incoming Senate Education Committee chairman Lynn Evans, a Republican from Aurelia, says there are concerns about the impact cell phone use is having on academic achievement.
But Evans, who is a retired superintendent, says he doesn’t want to interfere with Iowa schools that have taken the initiative to establish policies for the use of cell phones, tablets and other electronic devices during school hours.
House Education Committee chairman Skyler Wheeler of Hull says he’s open to reviewing what the governor may propose, but his local superintendents are telling him they want to retain the ability to adopt policies that best fit their own school districts.
House Democratic Leader Jennifer Konfrst also suggests there is a limit to how far the legislature should go in setting a statewide policy on cell phone use in schools.
The 2025 legislative session begins on Monday. On Tuesday, Governor Reynolds will deliver the annual Condition of the State address and will reveal her 2025 legislative agenda.
