Representative Doug Welton, the House floor sponsor of S.B. 69, said the bill continues last year’s effort.

“Last year was instructional time only, whereas this one increases it bell to bell, meaning the opening bell to the closing bell,” Welton said.

Welton said lawmakers see the expanded restriction as necessary to reduce constant distractions and improve student focus.

“The average student’s getting 200 and so on notifications a day,” Welton said.

He also cited early results from Utah schools following last year’s restrictions.

“Bullying incidents have gone down. Absenteeism has improved,” Welton said. “Social engagement has gone up. Engagement in the classroom has gone up.”

He acknowledged concerns about safety and government overreach but said schools already offer communication options, and the bill includes medical and educational exceptions.

“I can’t think of any incidents where there is a need for phones,” Welton said. “Minus the carve-outs for medical exemptions that we have in the bill already, such as individualized education programs, diabetes, things like that.”

For parents worried about reaching their children during the day, Welton said schools remain the main point of contact.

“If students are where they’re supposed to be, they call the school, they call the classroom,” Welton said. “In a matter of a minute or less, you’ve been able to contact your kid.”

Kim Whitman, co-lead of Smartphone Free Childhood, said school is an appropriate place for students to build independence from their parents and rely on trained adults during the day.

“The National Association of School Resource Officers, as well as law enforcement, all say that your student is less safe with a phone in an emergency situation,” Whitman said.

Whitman said that with bell-to-bell policies, there’s less fights, bullying and students grow more connected.

“Students participate in more after-school activities and classroom engagement improves overall,” Whitman said.

Former teacher and current Granite School District substitute Kathleen Barlow, who serves on the leadership council of Smartphone Free Childhood, said she supports the intent of S.B. 69 but believes earlier policies fell short because phones remain accessible.

“It’s really not much different than what it was,” Barlow said, referring to instructional-time-only restrictions. “It’s still putting all of the policing on the teachers.”

Barlow said allowing phones between classes reinforces addictive behavior and undermines learning.

“Unless it’s inaccessible for them, it’s just gonna be too great of a temptation,” Barlow said.

She also said enforcement burdens strain relationships between teachers and students.

“It pits teacher against teacher and makes them the bad guys,” Barlow said.

Barlow raised concerns about language learners relying on translation apps during debates over the bill. As a former language teacher, Barlow said screens cannot replace in-person interaction.

“Kids who are trying to learn another language are not going to learn it from staring down at a screen,” Barlow said. “They’re going to learn it from interacting with other kids in the classroom.”

While supportive of the bill’s direction, Barlow expressed skepticism that S.B. 69 will fully solve the problem unless phones are physically stored away.

“I’m not too confident that there’s going to be huge changes,” Barlow said. “Until phones are inaccessible, I really don’t think that it’s going to be a completely successful bell to bell.”

Welton said most pushback has come at the high school level, where older students are more accustomed to phone access. Younger students, Welton said, are adapting more easily.

“The sophomores that came in this year, that’s the world that they know,” Welton said. “It was no big deal for them.”

Despite disagreements over enforcement, Welton said lawmakers believe students and families will adjust.

“I think people are resilient,” Welton said. “I think parents are resilient. I think students are resilient.”

Senate Bill 69 was read for the third time in the Senate chamber and circled, delaying a final vote as lawmakers continue to debate how to balance student focus, safety and local control in Utah classrooms.