Kim Reynolds the Copy Cat

As much as I want to get away from this story, I can’t.

I promised my readers – No More Cell Phone Coverage for the Rest of the Year – but the story will never die.

Now, it’s Iowa Governor Kim Reynolds making news in the Hawkeye State that she will propose a bill banning cellphones in Iowa classrooms when the Iowa Legislature convenes next month.

The Des Moines Register reported recently that,

“Governor Kim Reynolds is planning to propose legislation that would ban cellphones in Iowa schools, although she hasn’t released specifics on the proposal.”

“Reynolds told Gray Televisions’ Washington News Bureau last week that she would be proposing the policy in her Condition of the State address in January, saying ‘kids need to focus on learning.’”

“Governor Reynolds believes Iowa students deserve the opportunity to learn free from the distraction of personal electronic devices,’ Mason Mauro, a spokesperson for the governor, said in a statement. ‘Iowa kids should have the freedom to focus and be fully engaged in their education.’”

“Schools around Iowa are beginning to institute cellphone bans,… Districts’ policies differ on whether phones are allowed between classes, including at lunch or recess.”

…

“Nationwide, at least eight states have passed laws banning or limiting cellphone use in schools, according to KFF Health News. Education departments in another nine states have issued recommended policies or pilot programs to limit cellphone use, and a dozen states have seen legislation introduced to ban phones in schools, the organization reported.”

“Republican lawmakers, who hold supermajorities in the Iowa House and Senate, said they are open to discussing the issue when the Iowa Legislature returns to Des Moines in January.”

“’House Republicans look forward to discussing this issue this session,’ House Education Committee Chair Representative Skyler Wheeler, a Republican from Hull, Iowa, said in a statement. ‘We want to make sure we discuss this with all stakeholders, including parents and ensure the learning environment is as focused on education as possible.’”

“Reynolds has made education a major focus of her agenda over the past several years.”

“She has signed legislation creating education savings accounts that families can use to pay private schools costs, expanding charter schools, banning teaching related to gender identity or sexual orientation through sixth grade and banning books that depict sex acts from schools.”

…

It’s difficult to see how Kim Reynolds is on the right track to improve student learning in Iowa. In a time when one-third of all Iowa schools are in need of improvement, the Iowa governor has spent her time and energy on moving money from public to private schools (there are 13 charter schools in the entire state), banning teaching related to gender identity or sexual orientation through the sixth grade, and banning book that might depict six acts. And now she’s taking on the cellphone issue.

Meanwhile, more and more Iowa kids can’t read, write, or problem-solve.

The Iowa governor’s focus on cellphones is an example of classic activity avoidance. Instead of taking on the real challenges connected to educating young learners, Iowa continues to choose to address issues that really don’t matter when it comes to student learning.

If banning cellphones improves reading, writing, and problem-solving scores in Iowa, or anywhere else for that matter, I’ll kiss a pig.

Til tomorrow. SVB