NORTH TEXAS — Keeping students focused in class is a hopeless task for Texas schools when cell phones are everywhere and distracting them, says state Rep. Ellen Troxclair.

“If you allow children to bring a television, a boombox, walkie-talkies – or anything like that – to school and put those devices on their desks while the teacher is trying to teach them something, that’s obviously not a way for them to retain information better,” she said.

That’s why the Austin-area Republican plans to introduce a bill to bring the “cell phone free” movement to every school in Texas.

She said there are several approaches to keeping students away from their cell phones, ranging from the less costly option of collecting them in file folders or hanging shoe racks to the more costly method of providing students with bags that remain locked during class time.

“I think of all the approaches, locking it away and keeping it out of sight between classes is the best because you’re not constantly looking at it between classes. You can chat with your classmates during lunch,” she said.

The I-Team surveyed 50 counties in North Texas While the majority have an “out and out of sight” rule, six have purchased magnetically sealable bags from a company called Yondr for a limited number of campuses.

Richardson ISD surveyed teachers after the first year and found that 100 percent agreed with the measure and said the bags gave them more time to teach.

“We all thought the toothpaste was out of the tube and we didn’t know how to put it back in. But with some good evidence and strong leadership, these school districts were able to prove that it is possible and urgently needed,” Troxclair said.

The possible interference of the state in students’ mobile phone access is met with some resistance.

“I think instead of banning cell phone use in school, we should focus on integrating and implementing it into our formal education programs that help young students learn how to be effective and responsible online citizens,” said Bill Salak of Brainly, an education company based in Krakow, Poland, and headquartered in New York City.

He is in favor of leaving the decision to the teachers in the classroom and not to the government.

He believes that students need guidance on how to deal with the distraction of cell phones and use them appropriately.

“If they learn to use technology responsibly, it will be far more useful for the future than simply banning it and saying, ‘You know, you’ll get it back when you grow up.'”

However, Texas would join a long list of states that have passed similar laws: at least eight have passed them so far, and three more are considering doing so.

Troxclair said she has already received bipartisan support from lawmakers in both chambers.

“Several senators immediately contacted me and said, ‘I love the idea. How can I help?'” she said.

Troxclair said she did not want to pass a mandate.

Their goal is to provide funding to districts that want to voluntarily implement stricter device policies.

“When you pass a statewide law, you don’t get into the specifics of how it’s going to be implemented or enforced, so there’s a lot of wiggle room for counties. But my role is to say, if you want to do that, you’ll get 1,000 percent support.”

Troxclair said she is interested in the idea of ​​bringing Yondr bags or similar technology to middle and high school students across the state.

She will meet with the company next week to discuss pricing and availability.