Committee hears Senate Bill 68 to centralize school-safety reports and curb student personal-device use

Sen. Mike Henderson, R-Third Senatorial District, told the House Committee on Elementary and Secondary Education that Senate Bill 68 would require local school districts to report school-safety incidents and credible threats to the Missouri Department of Elementary and Secondary Education (DESE) and would set a statewide floor for restricting students27 personal electronic devices during the school day.

Henderson said the reporting requirement would let the state "take a snapshot" of incidents by building and district so officials could identify problem sites and, if necessary, allocate resources. "Every parent should be able to feel safe sending their kids to school," he told the committee.

The bill pairs that reporting mandate with a statewide device rule that, in Henderson27s language, would bar students from using or displaying personal electronic communication devices from the start to the end of the school day except for defined emergencies, individualized education plan (IEP) or Section 504 accommodations, and other board‑defined emergency situations. Henderson told members the bill includes a built‑in eight‑year sunset to allow revision as technology changes.

Why it matters: sponsors and supporters said the measure addresses classroom disruptions,…