On Thursday, Arkansas Governor Sarah Huckabee Sanders signed two bills aimed at improving education and mental health in the state. The new legislation includes provisions for free breakfast for all public school children and a ban on cell phones during school hours. Governor Sanders explained that the breakfast initiative would support students’ learning while alleviating stress for parents who may struggle to provide for their children. She also noted that the phone-free legislation was part of a broader effort to promote family-friendly policies, expressing her expectation that the state would soon eliminate the grocery tax.
Senator Tyler Dees (R-Silom Springs) emphasized the importance of the phone-free legislation, highlighting concerns about children being used as test subjects by large technology companies. Representative Jon Eubanks (R-Paris) agreed, suggesting the legislation would have a significant impact on schools and teachers.
Senator Clarke Tucker (D-Little Rock) spoke in support of the breakfast bill, stating that hungry children are more likely to miss school and struggle with learning. He indicated that the initiative would benefit more than 425,000 families in Arkansas. Representative Zach Gramlich (R-Fort Smith), a teacher, shared his personal experience with the disruptive impact of cell phones on students’ social development, including their use for organizing fights that are recorded and posted on social media. He noted that the new legislation would directly address these issues.
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