Issue 33 – Governor and State Superintendent Propose Statewide Smartphone Ban in K-12 Public Schools
Bob Ferguson comes to Robert Eagle Staff MS to announce a policy that’s notably stricter than what SPS announced a few weeks ago.
Governor Bob Ferguson stopped by Seattle’s Robert Eagle Staff Middle School on Tuesday to make a major announcement: he and State Superintendent of Public Instruction Chris Reykdal are proposing legislation to ban smartphones in K-12 public schools.
The Governor described the plan as an “Away for the Day” policy that would “ban smart devices, including smartphones and smartwatches, from the first to last bell in K-12 public schools in Washington state.”
That’s notably stricter than the policy Superintendent Ben Shuldiner rolled out for Seattle Public Schools a few weeks ago.
SPS now bans smartphones for the whole day in grades K-8, with a different approach in high school. Phones must be away during class time in grades 9-12, but high schoolers can use phones during passing periods and lunch.
Shuldiner justified that in part by citing SPS’s open campus policy, which he argued made an all-day phone ban hard to enforce at the high schools. It’s not yet clear how the new proposal from Ferguson and Reykdal would be enforced at open campuses.
The high school aspects of Shuldiner's policy were controversial. As we reported, some members of the public, including intentional tech policy expert Emily Cherkin, as well as SPS board director Evan Briggs, claimed it was not a true “bell to bell” ban and that phones should be away for the entire day in high schools too.
SPS’s policy does not currently include smartwatches, which can remotely be put into a “Schooltime” mode. But the Ferguson-Reykdal plan would ban them as well. The Governor's office plans to consult with stakeholders about narrow exceptions in the coming months.
Advocates welcomed the announcement. Danica Noble, an Eagle Staff parent and candidate for the state legislature who spoke at the April board meeting in support of intentional tech policies, said she is “super excited” about the proposed ban.
Washington State residents strongly support "away for the day" phone policies in schools. Polling from the Northwest Progressive Institute found 65% of likely voters backed an all-day phone ban. Only 27% opposed it.
The proposal does not address another area of growing concern: the impact of the laptops and iPads handed out by the schools themselves. Parents have reported these cause significant distractions in the classroom and undermine smartphone bans. Seattle families have begun organizing to limit or end the 1:1 device policy.
The legislation is not yet final. According to the Governor’s Office:
“Over the next three months, Governor Ferguson and his team will travel across the state, meeting with students, teachers and other stakeholders on the details of this policy. Those discussions will include enforcement options, support needed by districts, what narrow exceptions — such as for IEPs, 504 plans and medical needs — are appropriate, and emergency communications plans.
Governor Ferguson expects to announce a detailed proposal by Sept. 15. He expects to prefile the Governor Request Bill the day prefiling opens on Dec. 7. School districts will implement the policy in September 2027.”
It remains to be seen whether legislators will adopt the proposal as is, or insist on amendments.
