Education was the issue of the day in Frankfurt as lawmakers debated.

Should cellphones be banned in the classroom?

Some Kentucky lawmakers say yes.

The House Education Committee moved ahead with a cell phone ban and bills to recruit more teachers, including substitutes.

Kentucky auditions.

June Leffler has more.

As we begin tonight's legislative update.

It's hard to say if House Bill 383 will be popular with students.

I'm voting yes today, but I'm concerned that this this bill will interfere with my son's tik-tok persona that he tries to film at school and the videos he does in the bathrooms.

I don't know, like if this is if I will be allowed to come home tonight.

Thank you.

But lawmakers, many who are or have been educators, say it's time to put the cell phones out of sight and out of mind.

My kids try it.

They're like doing a Chromebook activity and they say, can I listen to music while I do it?

I was like, No, you can't, because you won't focus on whatever it is that I have you doing.

This is not going to be as easy as it sounds.

Kids are very addicted to their phones.

I just think we need to realize that, that this needs to be done.

But I don't envy teachers that have to deal with this in the classroom.

The bill says students cannot pick up and use their phones during class instruction unless the teacher says differently.

Some lawmakers asked why this classroom protocol should become law.

So some districts, some schools already have policies to prevent cell phone usage.

Is that correct?

Yeah.

I mean, my high school's my middle schools in Rock Castle County, they have this already in place.

It gives the teacher the support in the classroom because now the administration kind of has to have their back and it gives the administration support because, you know, they've kind of got to go down this path now.

So so any school that does not have this policy now has grounds to do so.

And you're going to protect these teachers who who want this done.

But but don't have the the authority to do so.

Correct?

Yes, sir.

That's the intent.

The supportive vote was unanimous.

Elementary school principal and Representative Timmy.

True.

It has sponsored a bill he hopes will bring in more substitute teachers, which he says are in short supply.

My assistant principal, I called and I always check in on her on Tuesdays and Thursdays because I'm here at beginning of the day.

And I called and said, How's things going?

And she's like, Well, we were nine teachers out.

It was like, okay, I mean, subjugate zero.

So I called my superintendent and I said, Hey, sir.

I said, Why don't I have any substitute teachers?

And he's like, Well, we've got three in the district and they're in another school, so you don't have anymore subs in Kentucky, have to have 64 hours of college credit.

But Truitt says that's unnecessary.

If House Bill 387 becomes law, anyone with a high school diploma could become a sub.

All House education members backed the bill.

Teachers are losing it, losing their planning periods.

They're losing.

They're already too short lunch periods to cover their colleagues classes.

It's a real hardship.

The Education Committee also voted for more financial assistance for aspiring teachers.

College education students could get $5,000 per semester for every year.

They commit to teaching in Kentucky public schools and they would finally get paid for their student teaching.

For Kentucky Edition, I'm June Leffler.

Thank you, June.

The Education Committee also wants to study and reevaluate seek.

Now, that's the complicated formula used to dole out Kentucky's education dollars to school districts.

House Education Chair Representative James Tipton applauded the effort but said, quote, That's going to be a tough nut to crack and quote.