Bill would require AOE model for bell‑to‑bell phone bans and bar schools from using social media to message students

Peter Coleman, chair of the House Education Committee, outlined on May 12 an amendment to H 54 that would direct the Vermont Agency of Education to create a model policy prohibiting student use of cell phones and non‑school issued personal electronic devices that connect to cellular networks, the internet or Bluetooth from arrival to dismissal, subject to limited exceptions.

"The language we have in front of you ... requires the Agency of Education to develop the ... model policy," Coleman said, summarizing work that he said includes findings and intent and sets the policy details later in the text. The model policy must allow documented exceptions for students when use is required as part of an individualized education program, an individualized health care plan, or a Section 504 plan, or when approved by an administrator for an academic purpose.

The amendment also contains a separate, immediate prohibition on schools, school districts and supervisory unions using social media platforms for direct communication with students unless a program or platform is approved by the governing body. Any approved platform must permit school officials to archive communications and prevent editing or deletion once a message is sent. The draft further would bar schools from requiring students to use social media for out‑of‑school academic work, sports, clubs or other school‑sponsored activities.

Committee discussion focused on definitional and equity questions. Members raised concerns about how the proposal would affect families with limited English proficiency and homeless students covered by the federal McKinney‑Vento Act, noting that during the pandemic many districts used platforms such as WhatsApp and other messengers to reach parents. A committee member asked whether McKinney‑Vento circumstances should be spelled out as an explicit exception; staff said districts already must consider McKinney‑Vento under federal law but that adding explicit reference was possible.

The bill text cited research and findings in its legislative prefatory language, including that an August 2024 National Education Association survey found high member support for phone‑free policies, and data from the 2023 Vermont Youth Risk Behavior Survey about student reported mental health and social media use. The prefatory material also included a statewide education cost survey that reported positions devoted to mental and behavioral health rising from 142 in fiscal year 2022 to 790 in fiscal year 2025, with those positions accounting for an estimated ~$53 million of education spending when scaled across the state’s supervisory unions.

Committee members debated whether the Agency of Education or local districts should define “social media” because platforms and apps change quickly; staff advised that a statutory definition is possible but would invite extended drafting and litigation over scope. The amendment sets deadlines for the device policy: the AOE must publish a model policy by Jan. 1, 2026, and school boards and approved independent schools must adopt policies at least as stringent as the model by July 1, 2026, for the 2026‑27 school year. The social‑media prohibition would take effect July 1, 2025.

No formal vote was recorded; committee staff said testimony from school districts (including those that have adopted phone‑free policies), the Agency of Education and other stakeholders would be scheduled and that members would consider adding clarifying language such as reference to McKinney‑Vento before any final action.