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House Education committee forwards 'phone-free schools' draft to Senate, sets model-policy deadlines
Summary
The House Education Committee reviewed draft 5.1 of a bill to require a statewide model policy restricting student cell phone and certain personal electronic-device use, including a ban on direct student communication via social media unless approved and archived by districts; the language will be sent to the Senate for consideration.
At its May 9 meeting, the House Education Committee reviewed draft 5.1 of proposed "phone-free schools" legislation and agreed to forward the language to the Senate for consideration.
The draft requires the Agency of Education (AOE), in consultation with the school boards association, to develop a model policy prohibiting student use of cell phones and non–school-issued personal electronic devices that connect to cellular networks, the internet, or have Bluetooth capabilities from arrival to dismissal, with limited exceptions. The bill would require districts and approved independent schools to adopt policies at least as stringent as the model by July 1, 2026, to take effect in the 2026-27 school year; the draft also directs AOE to publish the model policy by Jan. 1, 2026.
"We've got a definition for cell phone, individualized health care plan, parents, school, and student," said Best St. James of the Office of Legislative Council during…
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