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HERE SHORTLY. OKAY, JASON. THANK YOU. RESTRICTING STUDENTS USE OF CELL PHONES DURING SCHOOL. LAWMAKERS ARE IN THE BEGINNING STAGES OF LOOKING AT THE BILL PROPOSED BY GOVERNOR REYNOLDS. ����vlog KAYLA JAMES JOINS US NOW WITH THE BREAKDOWN OF THAT BILL AND HOW PEOPLE WHO SPOKE UP TODAY SAY THEY’RE GENERALLY SUPPORTIVE. KAYLA. THAT’S RIGHT. BEN. THE BILL PASSED THROUGH A SENATE SUBCOMMITTEE TODAY. IT LOOKS TO CREATE A MINIMUM STANDARD AT SCHOOL DISTRICTS IN IOWA HAVE TO FOLLOW AS EARLY AS THIS UPCOMING SCHOOL YEAR. NOW, HERE’S WHAT’S BEING PROPOSED RESTRICTING THE USE OF PERSONAL ELECTRONIC DEVICES DURING CLASSROOM INSTRUCTIONAL TIME. SO IN ADDITION TO CELL PHONES, THAT INCLUDES VIDEO GAME DEVICES AND PORTABLE MEDIA PLAYERS. SCHOOL BOARDS WOULD BE DIRECTED TO ADOPT POLICIES SUCH AS ESTABLISHING WAYS PARENTS CAN COMMUNICATE WITH THEIR CHILDREN DURING NORMAL HOURS AND IN AN EMERGENCY, THEY WOULD HAVE TO CREATE A PROCESS ALLOWING PARENTS TO PETITION THE SCHOOL DISTRICT TO ALLOW THEIR CHILD TO KEEP THEIR DEVICE. IF THERE IS A REASON RELATED TO PHYSICAL OR MENTAL HEALTH. ANOTHER EXCEPTION WOULD BE IF A STUDENT HAS AN INDIVIDUALIZED EDUCATION PROGRAM THAT REQUIRES THEM TO HAVE ACCESS TO THEIR DEVICE. NOW, IN THE ROOM TODAY, REPRESENTATIVES FROM SCHOOL DISTRICTS AND ORGANIZATIONS FOCUSED ON EDUCATORS. HOWEVER, A STUDENT FROM AMES HIGH SPOKE UP VIA ZOOM, SHARING HOW THIS BILL COULD HELP SCHOOLS IN IOWA. AMES HIGH HAS A BAN ON CELL PHONES WHERE DURING INSTRUCTIONAL TIME, PHONES MUST BE AWAY. HOWEVER, THIS IS NOT WELL ENFORCED. THAT LEAVES IT BEING INCONSISTENT FROM TEACHER TO TEACHER, AND I DON’T BELIEVE THAT IT ACTUALLY BENEFITS STUDENTS. IT NEEDS TO BE CONSISTENT FOR US TO BE ABLE TO GET USED TO IT, AND ACTUALLY BENEFIT. NOW, THE DEPARTMENT OF EDUCATION PLAYS A ROLE. IT WOULD PROVIDE SAMPLE POLICIES FOR RESTRICTING DEVICES. IT WOULD ALSO WORK WITH THE DEPARTMENT OF PUBLIC SAFETY TO CREATE GUIDANCE AND SUPPORT SCHOOLS WHO HAVE TO UPDATE SAFETY PLANS. SCHOOL DISTRICTS WOULD HAVE TO DO SO BEFORE OR ON JULY 1ST OF THIS YEAR. NOW, MANY OF THE FROM ORGANIZATIONS AND SOME SCHOOL DISTRICTS IN THE ROOM TODAY SAY THEY ARE GENERALLY SUPPORTIVE OF THIS BILL. ONE CONCERN BROUGHT UP MULTIPLE TIMES, HOWEVER, WAS THE TIMELINE. YOU KNOW, THERE’S A LOT OF THINGS THAT NEED TO HAPPEN. AND WHAT WE DON’T WANT TO DO IS HAVE THE DISTRICTS DEVELOP POLICIES AND THEN GET THE INFORMATION ABOUT IT LATER, AND THEN HAVE TO GO BACK AND REDO IT. ONE MORE PART OF THE BILL. IT ALSO REQUIRES TEACHERS TEACHING STUDENTS ABOUT THE EFFECTS OF SOCIAL MEDIA. THE IOWA DEPARTMENT OF EDUCATION AND DEPARTMENT OF HEALTH AND HUMAN SERVICES WOULD PROVIDE DEVELOPMENT SUPPORT TO EDUCATORS TO HELP WITH THIS. A REMINDER THIS IS ONLY THE FIRST STEP IN THE LEGISLATIVE PROCESS. WE WILL CONTINUE TO TRACK WHAT HAPPENS NEXT. STACEY.