State Sen. Alice Mann, DFL-Edina, suggested recently to a group of St. Paul high school students that limits on cellphones at school could ensure “you get the education you’re here to get.”
The kids weren’t buying it.
TikTok, one student said, has educational videos created by people her age. Social media, another argued, can be positive if used in a positive way. And a third said flatly of any bans: “I feel like it’s just too late.”
Welcome to the community engagement portion of the state’s cellphones-in-schools debate — now playing out in a district near you.
The Legislature has required every district and charter school to establish cellphone policies by March 15, 2025. After an initial flurry of schools dictating that the devices be put away for the day, surveys and discussions are underway elsewhere to determine the best steps forward at the local level.
Mann has organized roundtables across the state with students, parents and educators to help guide any legislative moves that may be needed next year, she said.
The recent gathering at St. Paul’s Como Park High coincided with the state’s second-largest district laying the groundwork for its own rules.
Mounds View Public Schools formed a cellphone advisory committee, released a survey that drew 3,000 responses and held two community conversations with more than 200 people before expected board action on its policy in January.