HOUSTON, Texas – Are you going to send your kids to school on the first day? YES. That’s what Christine Hurley, a mom of two Houston ISD students, told KPRC 2.
Christine is pushing back on the new state’s new bill that bans the use of “personal wireless communication devices” in K-12th grade schools starting on Sept. 1.
Hurley currently has a fourth and second grader, both of whom wear smartwatches to track and message when they want.
“Why did you decide to get them smartwatches?” KPRC 2 Anchor Daniella Guzman asked Hurley.
“We wanted to be able to communicate with them during the day, mostly if there is an emergency at school. We wanted them to be able to contact us,” Hurley said. “Until we’re going to protect our kids, more than guns, they’re always going to be able to contact me in an emergency.”
Parents like Hurley say their kids need a way to reach them, especially given how slow schools have been with communication lately.
“I feel parents mostly fall under the category that, ‘My kids need a way to contact me,’ especially with how bad the schools are with timely communication right now,” Hurley added.
The ban includes personal cell phones, tablets, smart watches, headphones, and earbuds.
Lawmakers passed House Bill 14-81 to empower districts to limit device use during class.
The goal?
To reduce distractions and protect students’ mental health. Teachers across the country say they are tired of competing with social media alerts during lessons. Some schools already had similar rules, but now it’s the law for all Texas schools.
Russell Piper, a father, said his initial reaction to the ban was positive.
“My initial reaction was good! I understand, I didn’t have a phone in school, we did just fine,” Russell said.
But he said he started to get worried the more he thought about it.
“After I thought about it more, I want to be able to speak with our child if we need to,” Russell added.
Russell and his wife Erin just got their sixth grader, Laney, a phone two months ago, specifically for her new middle school.
“I don’t disagree that phones are an issue and kids shouldn’t have them out during school, the kids shouldn’t have access to them, but how to address that issue with schools and districts, and with Houston being such a big school district, I think it should be up to the individual schools. How to address it is it should be up to the schools,” Erin said.
The biggest school districts in the area have already announced enforcement policies.
Houston ISD will confiscate devices on the first offense and return them to parents after school, holding them longer for repeated offenses.
Fort Bend ISD has similar rules but may charge parents a fee to get the device back. The ban extends to lunch and recess, too.
“I think we should be able to take our phones to school but keep them in our backpacks,” Laney said.
Some students have experienced no devices during school before and now appreciate the change.
“There was a change during lunch and community time because most people would be staring at their phones during lunch and community times, and now people are having more interaction and talking to others,” Kate Dickey, a Fort Bend Christian Academy student, said.
From conversations with Houston parents on social media, the top reason kids need devices at school is communication in case of an emergency.
“My biggest fear is obviously a school shooting. We were traumatized from Uvalde. That’s when we said, we need to get something,” said Hurley.
There are exceptions to the ban. Devices can be used if there’s a documented medical need signed by a physician, if device use is required for emergency protocols, or if students are using district-issued tablets for education.
To find out how your student’s school district is enforcing the new mandate, click on one of the links below: