New TN bill could authorize school districts to ban cell phones

A Tennessee bill that would authorize school districts to pass policies banning cell phone use during instructional time gained bipartisan support and unanimously passed its first House subcommittee hearing this week. The proposed legislation, would also allow districts to pass policies requiring students to hand over their phones at the beginning of the school day. House Republicans told reporters Thursday some school boards were concerned about whether they had the authority to pass certain policies to regulate cell phone use. The House and Senate versions of the bill are scheduled to be debated in their respective Education Committees next week.