Is Minnesota Drawing Closer To Banning Cell Phones in Schools?

As we turned from 2024, into 2025, there was a very evident divide between Republicans and Democrats in Minnesota. They say they’ve moved past that, I guess we’ll see. 

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But there is one bill that has support from both sides of the aisle, and that’s a proposal about banning cell phones in schools or at least limiting them. 

The Star Tribune reported yesterday that a co-authored idea from Democratic State Senator Alice Mann from Edina and Fergus Falls Republican Jordan Rasmusson would deny high schoolers the right to use their phone in class and kids in 8th grade or lower to not have a phone at all.  

Mann has spent time the last several months meeting with school officials and others to formulate her idea. She did say yesterday that principals and school systems would have the authority to set the guidelines as they see fit.  

Earlier this month, the L.A. School District started a ban that includes no cell phones at lunch or during other break times.  

St. Cloud has already implemented a cell phone policy, and they told the Star Tribune that the school system has noticed a 50% decrease in discipline around phones and issues in the hallways. The report says that kids are having more face-to-face conversations.  

If these ideas become reality, Minnesota would join South Carolina, Virginia, Florida, Louisiana, and Indiana who have all done something similar or are going to do so soon.

Students who meet with Senator Mann from St. Paul told her they thought it was too late to make such a move with so many students having the habit of using their phones during the day.  

But it seems that some of the findings that are being brought out thus far would say that is not the case. Whatever is decided on will not go into effect until the 2026-2027 school year in Minnesota.