By Ashleigh Fields
Special to the AFRO
Washington, D.C. Councilmember Brooke Pinto (D-Ward 2) introduced a new bill entitled “Heads Up! Distraction-Free Learning Amendment Act of 2025” on Jan. 27, proposing a ban on students using cell phones at D.C. Public Schools (DCPS). Pinto says her motivation stemmed from low test scores following the COVID-19 pandemic, which sparked irregular class attendance and low reading levels.
“We must remain focused on supporting a learning environment in all of our schools that will help our students learn, play, engage, and thrive,” said Pinto in a press release. “Removing distracting devices during the school day will better equip our students to focus, empower our teachers to teach, and ensure that our kids are engaging with one another in person which will benefit them and their outcomes for years to come.”
Pinto’s office reported only 34 percent of District students met or exceeded expectations in English language arts and literacy and only 22.8 percent of students met or exceeded expectations in math last year.
Council Chairman Phil Mendelson (D-At Large) and Councilmembers Charles Allen (D-Ward 6), Matthew Frumin (D-Ward 3) , Zachary Parker (D-Ward 5) and Anita Bonds (D-At Large) co-introduced the legislation.
The ban would not apply to students who receive learning accommodations on devices and would allow for teachers to create other exceptions where needed.
“The data is clear: fewer distractions lead to stronger academic performance,” Allister Chang, a DC State Board of Education representative for Ward 2, said. “This bill ensures that students and educators can make the most of their time together in the classroom.”
However, some parents have raised concerns with the bill.
“Its already the rule at both of my kids DCPS schools but it is not in any manner enforced at Jackson-Reed so I appreciate the legislation but fully expect it to be ignored like everything else that comes out of the DC Council,” user @Safepublicsidewalks DC wrote under Pinto’s post on the social platform X.
Other people quickly chimed in.
“Since nothing is being done to stop school shootings children need their cell phones to be able to call for help,” a person under the name @MomBug commented.
Some suggested installing more cameras around school properties to help enforce the issue of safety, especially for schools in violent prone areas.
But it was a student that noted removing phones may hinder learning opportunities in a digital age.
“In a time in which we encourage teachers to think outside the box to engage students and use more digital tools in the classroom, accessibility becomes a problem as we take away opportunities to expand our resources. At my school, students regularly use their phone ‘hotspots’ to use digital classroom tools that are blocked by the DCPS firewall. This firewall, while very effective at censorship, is perhaps too effective–it limits students from engaging with additional helpful materials by broadly blocking certain sites,” Perry Pixley Chamberlain, a student at School Without Walls, wrote in a statement to the DC Council.
“According to the Student and Staff Technology and Network Acceptable Use Policy (Section IV, Part B), the DCPS firewall exists to protect students from accessing materials that limit ‘academic or operational services,’ or being exposed to inappropriate content. However, a number of sites that are blocked are regularly accessed by classrooms by using ‘hotspots’ to aid learning–a way to access what is supplementary without being blocked by the firewall,” he added.
“News sites, YouTube videos, email, and other resources are used to engage classrooms at my school (and others) and if access to using phone ‘hotspots’ is taken away with a highly restrictive phone policy, it will consequently remove access to these sites as well.”
