(Radio Iowa) – The Iowa House has overwhelming voted in favor of requiring schools to ban students from using their cell phones while they’re in class. Representative Jeff Shipley, a Republican from Birmingham, says it’s an important move.

“It is my hope that the discussion and the acknowledgment that the proliferation of electronic and digital devices can and does often come with negative impacts on both adults and children,” Shipley said. Shipley praised the Ottumwa School District and Des Moines Hoover High School for being trailblazers on the issue. A principal at Hoover — where cell phones must be kept in a student’s backpack — told Axios Des Moines there was a 31 percent increase in A’s and B’s earned by students in the fall semester and a six percent drop in the number of failing grades. There was also a 60 percent decrease in student suspensions at Des Moines Hoover High School last semester.

Representative Heather Matson, a Democrat from Ankeny, says many school districts have adopted successful cell phone policies that show restrictions are making a difference. “I think we all know of the incredible distractions caused by cell phones and other electronic devices. I mean, we all have one and we are constantly taking them out,” Matson said. “Imagine your children doing that all the time.”

The bill, which has the backing of Governor Kim Reynolds, passed the House by an 88-to-nine vote. A similar bill is eligible for debate in the Iowa Senate.