New Hampshire lawmakers don’t often align, but banning student cellphone use in schools became one of those rare occasions.

The House of Representatives voted, by an overwhelming 314-42 margin, to approve what could become one of the strictest school cellphone bans in the country.

Once the state Senate accepts the House’s edits to Senate Bill 206, it’ll head to Gov. Kelly Ayotte’s desk. The law would prohibit students from using all personal electronic devices – including personal cellphones, tablets, laptops and smart watches – throughout the entire school day, with no exception for instructional activities. It also requires local school districts and charter schools to craft their own policies, with the state restriction as a baseline.

Ayotte called on lawmakers to send her such a policy back in January and supports the “bell to bell” ban. She said last month that the state shouldn’t place the burden on teachers to police a partial cellphone ban, and that students will benefit from less cyberbullying and more socialization.

“What happens is the kids are going to talk to each other more at lunch because they’re not, like many of us, always on our phones,” Ayotte said. “If you have a bell-to-bell banning of the cellphones, what you’re going to get is enhanced education outcomes, more focus in the classroom.”

The bill does allow exceptions for medical devices, like blood glucose monitors, as well as special education and language proficiency needs.

State representatives had disagreed over whether cellphones should also be allowed for school-approved instructional activities. An amendment from Democrats to do so was shot down.

A less restrictive version of the bill passed in the State House just a few weeks ago, which would’ve banned cellphones only during class times.

“We’ve been on quite a journey to get us where we are today,” said Rep. Muriel Hall, a Bow Democrat, noting that SB 206 is “leaving us today with a prohibition on all personal communication devices, from when the first bell rings to start instructional time until the dismissal bell rings to end the academic school day. It’s a big step forward.”

Just six states — New York, Arkansas, Kentucky, Louisiana, Oklahoma and South Carolina — have instituted so-called bell-to-bell bans in recent years, according to the legislative tracking websiteBallotpedia. Six other states prohibit phone use during class, but not during other portions of the day, such as at lunch and recess.

The law, which will likely take effect prior to next school year, will prompt major changes for many school districts, as previously reported by the Monitor.

An informal survey of Concord-area schools conducted by the Concord Monitor last September found that just one school, Rundlett Middle School in Concord, currently prohibits phones all day. Most other schools have policies barring devices only during class.

School phone bans have emerged as the rare issue that has garnered widespread bipartisan agreement. Nationally, Republican Gov. Ron DeSantis of Florida and Democratic Gov. Kathy Hochul of New York have been among the most vocal elected officials advocating for the policy.

In New Hampshire, the leader of the state’s largest teachers’ union, the National Education Association, has joined Ayotte in backing a bell-to-bell ban, citing a nationwide survey that found 83% of the union’s members support prohibiting phones for the whole day.

“NEA-New Hampshire remains in favor of a bell-to-bell prohibition on the use of cellphones, which will help ensure students receive the maximum educational benefit during the school day, both academically and socially,” union president Megan Tuttle said previously.

Charlotte Matherly is the statehouse reporter for the Concord Monitor and Monadnock Ledger-Transcript in partnership with Report for America.