Iowa governor calls on lawmakers to vote on cellphone ban, Nebraska educators push for legislation

Alex McLoon  

Reporter

COUNCIL BLUFFS, Iowa —Iowa Gov. Kim Reynolds is calling on state lawmakers to vote on a ban on cell phones in K-12 classrooms in the new year, as first reported by KCCI.

In the Omaha metro, at least one district has a ban, while Council Bluffs Community Schools is keeping an eye on the rest of the state. The Nebraska State Education Association is also dialing up its own plan.

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"We want to make sure that when they're in the classroom, when they're in school, that they are fully there to learn," Gov. Reynolds said Tuesday.

She said some schools have enforced a policy from bell to bell. Some have had rules that return them at the lunchroom.

A spokesperson for Council Bluffs Community Schools says it has no ban, and is not having an active conversation at this time, but that it had a student summit recently. The district asked students about cellphones. It's a topic the district is studying and may pursue, but is keeping an eye on what's happening across the state while it seeks input.

Read the full story here.