Article courtesy of MIRS for SBAM’s Lansing Watchdog newsletter
The Senate Thursday passed legislation approved by the House earlier this week to ban cell phones in K-12 public schools.
Thursday’s vote solidified bicameral support for a rare bipartisan effort by Michigan’s divided legislature in a policy area – education – that’s proving pivotal in the 2026 race for control of state government.
Education has become increasingly politicized nationwide in recent years, with the COVID-19 pandemic igniting a conservative movement aimed at giving parents a greater say in their kids’ learning, and Republicans criticizing a perceived left-wing radicalism in public schools on their way to election victories. Debate has been particularly fierce in Michigan politics, mostly due to the state’s dismal reading scores.
Amid the discord, some legislators and observers saw Thursday’s near-unanimous vote as an occasion for optimism that Michigan’s education system can indeed be improved – divided government or not.
“If this bill package passes today, we will have passed two very solid school policy bills in the past month, indicating that, yes, we can come together across the aisle and across chambers to do the right things for kids, parents and schools,” said Dayna Polehanki (D-Livonia), a lead sponsor of the legislation.
Though an amendment he introduced failed, Senate Minority Leader Aric Nesbitt (R-Lawton) echoed that sentiment. He said the legislation is “a good reminder that education policy shouldn’t be partisan,” before arguing that it “too often” has been under Democratic leadership of state government.
One prominent Michigan politician has been skeptical that a partisan political system lends itself to improving the state’s education system: Former Detroit Mayor Mike Duggan ditched his native Democratic Party to run for governor as an independent, and has argued on the campaign trail that his lack of allegiance to either side of the aisle uniquely positions him to improve learning outcomes.
Bob Kefgen, director of government relations at the Michigan Association of Secondary School Principals, said he is “grateful” for the bill’s passage. The ban becoming law, he said, will provide needed “uniformity” statewide, and help administrators deal with pushback from parents who are upset with their kids’ being disciplined for using phones in school.
The legislation package passed the Senate 34-1, with only Michele Hoitenga (R-Manton) opposing it.
A tie-barred bill that provides an exemption for cellphone use in the event of emergencies was passed by the Senate, but must be approved by the House before the legislation goes to Gov. Gretchen Whitmer to be signed into law.
Polehanki told reporters she expects the House to take up that bill next week, where it “hopefully” will pass, as it has been agreed upon by legislative leaders.
Michigan Association of School Boards (MASB) Executive Director Don Wotruba said his organization is “neutral” on the bill.
The group initially opposed the legislation, but modified its position after it was changed to allow individual school districts more flexibility in crafting their own cell phone ban policies. MASB was pleased, for example, by an amendment that allowed districts to create an exception for teachers that prefer to incorporate cell phones into lesson plans, Wotruba said.
Despite MASB’s neutrality on the legislation, he’s heartened that the divided legislature collaborated on education policy, saying “I would love it to be the first of many pieces that they might be able to look at educationally, and make it less partisan.”
Wotruba added, “I look at my local members who are making decisions in a nonpartisan manner every week that they’re at board meetings, and feel like, if they can do it at the local level, I don’t understand why the legislature can’t figure it out in Lansing.”
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