LITTLE ROCK (KFSM) — A Benton County republican filed a bill Wednesday (Dec. 7) that would prohibit students from having any portable electronic devices, including smartphones, with them while in school.
The list of devices that would be prohibited under Rep. Kim Hendren’s, R-District 92, bill includes:
- cell phones
- smartphones
- paging devices
- beepers
- digital media players
- portable game consoles
- digital cameras
- digital video and audio recorders
The bill would also require school districts to establish a designated area in each school where students can deposit their devices when they arrive each morning and then retrieve them at the end of the day. A device that is not deposited with the school would be subject to forfeiture.
The bill does allow students to use a device during an emergency or for any other reason determined by the school district.
The 2017 legislative session begins Jan. 9, 2017.
