Gov. Abbott signs bill prohibiting students from using cell phones in Texas schools

EL PASO, Texas (KVIA) -- Texas Governor Greg Abbott signed House Bill 1481, which requires public schools in Texas to adopt policies prohibiting student use of personal communication devices during the school day.

Abbott signed the bill on Friday, along with 306 others passed during the 89th Regular Legislative Session.

ABC-7 spoke with Gustavo Reveles, a spokesperson with the Canutillo Independent School District. He said that they knew the bill was in session and believe it's a good idea, but they still have work to do to make sure it's intended affect is had.

"We know this bill passed. We know its intent, but we don't know yet what implementation we are to use when it comes to actually going through with it."

Reveles added that they need more details before implementation.

"What are the implications of it and really what it means for teachers? What what are we asking them to do? What are we asking schools to do?"

Part of the guidance they need is for emergency situations. Parents are used to being connected to their children 24/7, and the ability to contact them immediately is important.

"We want to make sure that we understand the limitations of this new bill, and the impact it will have on that access that parents have come to rely on."

Technology has become very important for students and teachers, however. Reveles said teachers use laptops, cell phones, and tablets during their lesson plans. Being able to appropriately moderate the usage is the next step.

"We want to make sure that students continue to use technology, continue to access the tools that we know are necessary to be successful."

The Governor's Office provided the following explanations of some of the other bills Abbott signed last week.

• Senate Bill 1035: allows owners, operators, or lessees of agricultural operations to bring legal action against a political subdivision that violates “right to farm” protections.
• Senate Bill 2231: creates Free College Application Week, which makes applying for college more affordable and accessible by allowing Texans to apply to state universities for free during the second week of October.
• Senate Bill 2570: adds a section to the Texas Penal Code chapter governing use of force to protect the lawful use of less-lethal force weapons by peace officers and correctional facility guards, protecting them from frivolous litigation. 
• House Bill 11: makes it simpler to work in Texas by recognizing out-of-state occupational licenses.
• House Bill 12: "DOGEs" Texas government by requiring regular efficiency audits of state agencies.
• House Bill 29: establishes water audit validation and mitigation requirements for municipally owned utilities that provided potable water to 150,000 service connections or more. 
• House Bill 33: enhances school safety by strengthening emergency operations planning, security reviews and safety audits, and training to help protect students and staff.
• House Bill 229: reinforces that in Texas that there are only two sexes—male and female.
• House Bill 1393: requires both the Central and Mountain Time portions of the state to observe daylight saving time year-round once federal approval is granted. The standard time in the state will be referred to as Texas Time.
• House Bill 2294: enables local workforce development boards to reimburse Texas Rising Star (TRS) Program childcare providers at maximum reimbursement rates based on their rating level, provided it does not affect the target number of subsidized children served daily.
• House Bill 2306: makes those convicted of human trafficking ineligible for parole when the victim is a child or disabled individual.
• House Bill 2674: ensures that the state does not place regulatory burdens on homeschool programs.
• House Bill 5115: makes counting invalid votes or refusing to count valid votes an election fraud offense and enhances the offense of all election fraud to a second-degree felony, protecting election integrity. 
• House Bill 5629: supports greater job opportunities in Texas for our veterans and their spouses by removing barriers to recognizing, and waiving fees for, occupational licenses.