Phone-free WA schools? Governor Ferguson eyes new legislative priority
Gov. Ferguson pushes to ban cell phones in classrooms
Washington Gov. Bob Ferguson announced plans to push for legislation next session that would ban cellphones in public school classrooms to improve student mental health and academic focus.
SEATTLE - Governor Bob Ferguson has made a uniquely early legislative request announcement. For the 2027 Washington legislative session, the governor says getting phones out of classrooms will be a priority for his team.
Ahead of a more formal proposal in September, Ferguson spoke today about his intentions with the ban and his office's plans to tour the state to field viewpoints from students, parents, and educators this summer.
How would the phone ban work in Washington schools?
An "Away for the Day" policy would ban cell phones from kids between the first and last class bells of the day. This would be in effect for public K-12 schools in the state.
Governor Bob Ferguson speaks at June 9 press conference to discuss phone bans in Washington schools.
Governor Ferguson's reason for a school phone ban
A statement from his office reads, in part, "In the United States, 95% of teenagers have smartphones – and 97% of these teenagers use them during school. Studies show teenagers spend, on average, roughly a quarter of their school day on their cellphones – more than 41 instructional days over the course of a school year."
Ferguson likened the future phone ban to banning cigarettes on planes. "There was a time when that was very common, right? Nobody thinks that's a good idea anymore," saying he is confident residents, parents, and school officials will agree with letting students focus on class instead of devices.
Robert Eagle Staff Middle School Principal Zachary (Zac) Stowell
Seattle principal's reaction to proposed cell phone ban
When speaking about a day when students left their phones behind for a camp, Principal Zachary "Zac" Stowell said he noticed kids that were "totally different students, you couldn't unsee it."
He continued, telling a story at the Tuesday press conference about a conversation with an eighth grade student on the phone-free day.
"I went over to this girl and said, ‘Who is this? This is not the person walking up and down the hallways,' she said ‘I can’t be myself at school, I can't, I'm always under pressure of having my picture taken. I don't want to present in class, someone may take a picture of me with my mouth open at lunch.'"
What's next:
Ferguson will announce a fully detailed proposal by September 15, 2026, with a target to implement the policy in schools one year later, in September 2027.
For the next three months, the governor will spend this summer traveling across the state to meet with stakeholders who would be impacted by this phone ban, including students and teachers. His team says they hope these conversations will inform them where limited exceptions would be necessary or useful.
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The Source: Information in this story came from the Office of Governor Bob Ferguson.