Other bills that could follow House Bill 1559 this legislative session are likely to suggest different ways that cellphones could be limited in schools.
But HB 1559, which passed first reading in the opening week of the Legislature, would prohibit students from using “telecommunication devices during the instructional day in public schools in order to strengthen learning environments, support student mental and emotional well-being, and improve academic outcomes for students throughout Hawaii.”
The Hawai ‘i State Teachers Association has not come up with a position over cellphone use in schools after 100 teacher delegates to the teachers union’s annual convention in April remained divided over whether to allow, limit or outright ban cellphones, said Sarah “Mili” Milianta-Laffin, who represented the teachers union’s Leeward chapter at the convention held at McKinley High School.
She teaches elective speech and debate and STEM classes to seventh-and eighth-grade students at Ilima Intermediate School in Ewa Beach and was surprised at the split in opinions among teachers.
“I thought it would be a slam dunk that all teachers would support a ban but it was close to 50-50,” Milianta-Laffin said. “We had a pretty divisive vote.”
Ilima allows teams of teachers to set their own classroom policies over the use of cellphones and Milianta-Laffin sees the difference in student performance and attention spans as various students rotate through her classes.
“Younger teachers see phones as a resource,” she said. “Veteran teachers see it as the enemy.”
Some teachers at Ilima allow devices to be used for class projects, such as for taking photos or videos. Others let students listen to music to calm anxiety or let them use their devices for a few minutes as an incentive to finish their schoolwork early.
But HB 1559 remains clear in its intent.
“The legislature finds that the State is committed to maintaining high levels of education by ensuring that public schools provide a safe, secure, and effective learning environment for students,” according to the bill. “However, the increased presence and use of telecommunication devices during the school day have become a significant distraction for students, leading to reduced attention and diminished classroom engagement.
“The legislature further finds that numerous states have enacted statewide policies that restrict or prohibit student use of cellphones and similar devices during the school day. Certain states, including Louisiana, have adopted policies limiting student cellphone use during the instructional day, with exceptions for educational or authorized purposes, and that early reports from school officials in those states indicate improvements in student focus, attendance, and academic performance following implementation. National surveys of public school leaders and teachers indicate that a majority report negative impacts from student cellphone use on mental health, attention spans, and educational outcomes.”
On Friday, HSTA President Osa Tui, Jr. wrote a letter to the state Board of Education reflecting teachers’ division over cellphone use in all island schools.
“We encourage clear guidance regarding enforcement responsibility, which rests primarily with school administration, and how teachers will be supported when conflicts arise related to cellphone enforcement,” Tui wrote.
He asked that the state Department of Education issue guidelines that “include consistent training and clear communication for educators, administrators, students, and families.”
House members who introduced HB 1559, however, are certain.
“Cellphones are the root cause of so many ‘he said, she said’ incidents that lead to fighting,” said Rep. Darius Kila (D, Nanakuli-Maili). “They’re more of a distraction than an assistance and the negatives outweigh the positives. … These devices are playing into the haves and have-nots where some students don’t have these high-end devices. But it’s no longer that the focus is on learning.”
Rep. Luke Evslin (D, Wailua-Lihue) said that cellphones lead to more social isolation and less student focus, social interaction and emphasis on learning.
His oldest of two children is in the third grade and continues to ask Santa for a cellphone for Christmas to be like some of her classmates who already have them, along with fifth-graders who chat with classmates while others cannot.
“I think it’s simple and the data is really clear,” Evslin said. “I really, really feel strongly about this.”
Milianta-Laffin sees how cellphone access plays out among seventh-and eighth-grade students and their parents at Ilima.
“The kids are more focused off the phone,” she said. “But if they can’t have a phone, they spend a lot of time trying to sneak the device or ask for a bathroom pass to use their phone. Even if kids are more focused without them, they are constantly thinking about them.”
And so are many of their parents.
Some want to use their children’s’ cellphones to track their locations at any time. Others want the ability to contact their children for any reason, especially if an active shooter situation should break out.
“It runs the spectrum,” Milianta-Laffin said. “Parents are divided, like teachers. Some say, ‘I have a right to get to my kid whenever I want. I want her to have it on her desk face up so I can speak to her.’”
But as a teacher, Milianta-Laffin said, “I can’t be more engaging than TikTok because TikTok has written its algorithm to that particular kid and I can’t be more engaging than a device that’s catering to them.”
A student whose teachers allowed her to use her cellphone to talk to her parents in class abused the privilege by programming it to call her periodically.
“Turns out it was her boyfriend she wanted to talk to throughout the day,” Milianta-Laffin said. “These kids are smart, I will give them that.”
Milianta-Laffin is currently on union leave to lobby legislators on behalf of the HSTA during the legislative session For legislators facing the question of whether to ban cellphones and other telecommunications devices during school hours, Milianta-Laffin said, “It’s an important conversation that we have to keep having.”
© 2026 The Honolulu Star-Advertiser. Distributed by Tribune Content Agency, LLC.
