Proposed House Bill 1036, filed by State Representative Republican Kim Hendren of District 32, which would have banned the use of portable electronic devices in public schools, has been withdrawn. The bill proposed a ban on cell phones, paging devices, beepers, digital media players, portable game consoles and digital video or audio recorders.
Superintendent from Mountain Home Public Schools Dr. Jake Long didn’t support the measure and speculates there might have been pushback from others who felt the same. He says overall at Mountain Home Schools, the use of cell phones has not been a major problem.
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A new bill, House Bill 1364, was filed by Representative Hendren last week as an amendment to Arkansas Code and has a broader language. It says the public policy of the state of Arkansas should be that portable electronic devices shall not be used during an organized state-funded activity unless the use is specifically approved by the individual or entity administering the activity.
Dr. Long says the change is better than a blanket mandate.
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Even so, Long says with the new bill, policies will have to be put in place. Along with more guidelines and provisions come greater amounts of time effort, accountability and cost he says. Long wonders how necessary the new amendment will be, especially when it comes to schools, which already have portable electronic device policies in place.
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