To many, the new Texas phone ban seemed to appear overnight, leaving teachers and students to grapple with its sudden challenges. The move has sparked frustration and raised a multitude of questions, including the main query of: who allowed this to happen? This article traces the origins of the ban and how it came to be.
The Texas House Bill 1481 (HB 1481) is a state law enacted during the 89th Texas Legislature with the intention of increasing focus and academic performance by prohibiting the use of prohibited communication devices during school hours. Governor Greg Abbott signed this into law on August 1st, 2025. It officially took effect on September 1st, but many schools unnecessarily implemented it sooner.
So who was a part of the creation of this bill? This law had 86 co-authors, including more than 20 Democrats, but the woman who introduced the bill was State Representative Caroline Fairly, a Republican from Amarillo, Texas. The Texas House of Representatives passed the bill with strong bipartisan support. That essentially means that both political parties believed in the bill, which caused it to be passed faster and not so easily challenged. Along with the State Legislature, the State Senate also approved the measure.
Here is the process that the bill had to go through in plain terms. First, the bill was introduced in the Texas House. Then, it was written by a mixture of political parties, making it more politically “reasonable.” Next, the Texas House of Representatives voted and passed it. After that, the Texas Senate voted and approved it. Finally, Governor Greg Abbott signed it into law.
CHS Junior Daysi Abigail Vallecillo voices her opinion on how it feels for individual school districts to have no vote in the matter. “I feel like it defeats the purpose of the whole thing, when you’re trying to help the people who are being affected by having phones in class, like teachers, students, and parents, but not ask anyone what they would like to be done about this.”
That is the true origins of the phone ban that has shaken schools around America. As far as politically, this new bill seems completely reasonable and balanced, which is the reason it was so widely accepted. However, some of the more involved citizens may argue that there are many consequences that have been overlooked. Although it seems that this bill has been achieving its goals thus far.
Written by Brooklin Garrison