Free Republic

ALBANY, N.Y. (AP) — New York state would ban cellphones in public schools “bell to bell” beginning with the next school year under an agreement announced late Monday by Gov. Kathy Hochul.“We’ve protected our kids before from cigarettes, alcohol, and drunk driving, and now we’re protecting them from addictive technology designed to hijack their attention,” Hochul said in announcing the plan as part of a tentative budget agreement with state lawmakers.Hochul, a Democrat, did not immediately detail plans for the ban. Her office has previously said that schools would have some flexibility over how to implement it, with districts deciding...

Improved focus, higher quality family time, more social interaction, and less anxiety are all products of a week-old cell school phone ban in Iowa that’s convincing officials there to spread the good news. “Do it. Do it. It’s not as bad as you think,” Gateway High School Principal Aaron Ruff said, offering advice for schools considering limits on student cell phone use. “I think parents are well aware of what cell phones are doing to their kids. They’re seeing it at home. I think parents are behind this.” Ruff and others in the Ottumwa Community School District recently explained to...

Cellphone talkers and texters, beware. California Highway Patrol officers around Sacramento have special marching orders on Friday and Saturday: Find you and ticket you. "If someone is driving distracted, we want officers to issue citations," said CHP spokesman Adrian Quintero. Also on Friday, plainclothes officers and volunteers with clipboards will be stationed on foot at several major intersections around Sacramento, peering into passing car windows and noting the types of distracted driving they see. Similar tallies will be taken in the Auburn and Stockton areas. They won't be ticketing. They'll be gathering data to be forwarded to the California Office...

Denver—In order to strike a blow to irresponsible drivers and save the children, the Colorado House of Representatives passed a measure—House Bill 1094—restricting the use of cell phones to “hands free” devices, and banning flatulence for drivers of motor vehicles. The resounding victory came on Wednesday, April 8, 2009, in a 39 – 25 vote, ending the scourge of drivers on the highway that use cell phones and “pass gas.” The bill was brought by Rep. Claire Levy, D-Boulder, to protect other drivers, children and the environment.

Cindy Baker-Williams held a "Hang Up and Drive" banner over Aurora Avenue North in Fremont when Washington's handheld cellphone ban for drivers began on the first of July. She and her family hoped the new law would change drivers' behavior. It did at first. "The initial trend we saw was less people talking," said Baker-Williams. Then cellphone use started creeping back up, said Sgt. Freddy Williams of the State Patrol, who has carried on his own informal off-duty study of driving-and-talking. He can't think of another law that's been flouted quite like this one. "I've seen people walk out of...

Despite the warning signs placed near West University Elementary School, two drivers were caught by surprise this morning as police began enforcing a new ordinance banning cell phone use in the school zone. Parents who were bringing children for the first day of classes praised the new law, which prohibits the use of cell phones or other electronic devices during one-hour periods in the morning and afternoon.... The ban is in effect from 7 a.m. to 8 a.m. and 2:30 p.m. to 3:30 p.m. Violators could be liable for a fine of up to $200 for the first offense and...

THE ARMY has banned the use of cell phones by drivers at all of its Hawaii bases, a policy that includes headsets and hands-free devices. It's a policy that state lawmakers shied away from adopting this past legislative session. The policy memorandum was signed on Nov. 7 by Maj. Gen. Benjamin Mixon, commanding general of the 25th Infantry Division, whose jurisdiction covers Army posts that include Schofield Barracks, Tripler Army Medical Center and Fort Shafter. Stefanie Gardin, Army spokeswoman, said Mixon's cell phone ban centered on "safety." "Every day, thousands of soldiers and civilians are on our streets," Gardin said....