The Alabama Senate Education Policy Committee voted 9-0 on Wednesday to advance211 SB92, a bill that would implement a bell-to-bell cell phone ban in schools across the state. Sponsored by State Sen. Donnie Chesteen (R-Geneva), SB92 seeks to curb classroom distractions by requiring students to store their cell phones in designated locations during school hours.
“This bill gives our children an opportunity to go bell-to-bell without any devices in front of them,” Chesteen said. “It allows the teachers to teach, to instruct, and not have to be policing a classroom to try to find out who’s on their cell phone.”
The legislation does not mandate a specific storage method, instead leaving it up to local school systems to determine how to enforce the policy. Some schools, such as Pike Road High School, have already implemented similar measures using Yondr pouches—lockable cases that keep phones inaccessible during the school day.
Principal Christy Wright of Pike Road Junior High spoke before the committee, highlighting the positive effects of the school’s existing bell-to-bell policy.
“We did see the need for Yondr, and we did purchase those. But I would like to state, even though we had those offenses, those incidents, still our teachers noted a great difference in our learning environment without cell phones being there,” said Wright.
“There was much more peer interaction happening, deeper discussions, even in the hallways. The interaction between our students changed our culture.”
State Sen. Rodger Smitherman (D-Birmingham) expressed reservations about the cost of enforcement tools like Yondr pouches, which run about $30 each. “We’re talking about an unfunded mandate,” Smitherman said
To address compliance, the bill includes a provision requiring the Alabama State Department of Education to develop a survey to assess school participation and effectiveness. Schools that fail to meet minimum compliance standards could face a 30% reduction in common purchase funds, a penalty that some lawmakers—such as State Sen. Smitherman—said they would seek to amend before the bill reaches the Senate floor.
The bill also includes provisions requiring students to receive instruction on internet safety and the risks of social media before entering eighth grade. The State Department of Education would oversee the development of the compliance survey to assess the policy’s effectiveness statewide.
SB92 passed unanimously in committee and will now head to the full Senate for further debate.
Grace Heim is a state and political reporter for Yellowhammer News. You can follow her on X @graceeheim or email her at [email protected].
