Oregon Governor Pushes for School Cell Phone Ban After Senate Committee Stalls Bill

On Wednesday, Governor Kotek expressed her disappointment after legislators in the Senate Education Committee declined to advance House Bill 2251, which seeks to restrict cell phones in Oregon schools.

Governor Intervenes In Oregon HB 2251 Restricting Cellphones In Schools

After months of debate over how prescriptive the state’s policy should be, especially on whether high school students should be banned from accessing their phones during lunch and passing periods, House Bill 2251 was not sent to the Senate Rules Committee by Friday, which would have allowed it to evade a Friday bill deadline.

Despite Oregon lawmaker’s push to ban cell phones in schools with the off-and-away-all-day bill, Gov. Kotek intervened after HB 2251 did not progress to the Senate after three Democrats and two Republicans on the panel refused to go along with it.

A spokesperson for Kotek, Lucas Bezerra, said Kotek was clear that the bill was a priority for the session, given the benefits of removing cellphones from school settings for student outcomes and mental health.

Kotek’s spokesperson said, “The governor hopes the contents of the bill can be resurrected, and she is actively exploring executive action.”

If the bill is passed, Oregon would become the 22nd state in the US to have a statewide policy banning the use of cell phones in schools.