Indiana Senate Bill 78 bans student wireless devices during school day
Updated
Updated · ipm.org · Apr 29
Indiana Senate Bill 78 bans student wireless devices during school day
13 articles · Updated · ipm.org · Apr 29
Schools must adopt compliant policies by 1 July, while the Indiana Department of Education prepares guidance and teachers weigh storage costs without new state funding.
The law expands Indiana's existing classroom-time phone restriction to the full school day, covering phones, smartwatches and tablets kept at home or stored out of reach.
Supporters cite Kentucky schools reporting fewer confiscations, better grades and more student interaction, while critics question emergency access, recording rights and whether laptops will remain a distraction.
By removing phones to boost test scores, are schools also removing a student's most critical safety tool?
With phones gone, will schools now confront the deeper learning crisis caused by laptops and AI?
Does banning phones teach self-regulation, or just delay the challenge of managing digital life?