House Labor and Commerce Committee adopts substitute for bill on student communication devices

The House Labor and Commerce Committee adopted a committee substitute to House Bill 57, concerning the use of communication devices in public schools, during a brief hearing that opened at 9:51 a.m. and adjourned at 9:58 a.m.

The substitute clarifies that wireless telecommunication devices may be used for educational purposes when permitted by a teacher or a school administrator and adds language addressing student privacy rights. Courtney Owens, staff to Representative Fields, told the committee that the substitute moved language into "section 1433300A" on page 1, lines 11–12 and made conforming changes on page 2 ("This section was added to the use of wireless telecommunication devices for educational purposes, when permitted by a teacher or a school administrator"), and that a related change "was added to clarify the privacy rights of students with regards to their personal telecommunication devices."

Kelly Lisonbee, a member of the Anchorage School Board, described how districts currently provide devices and the practical reasons for the substitute. "Essentially they are Chromebooks," Lisonbee said, and she explained that after COVID-era device purchases the district scaled back a systemwide plan so the district now operates a grade 6–12 one-to-one Chromebook initiative, leaving roughly half of Anchorage School District students with district-issued Chromebooks. Lisonbee said many students must bring and charge Chromebooks at home, and "there are times where students forget their Chromebooks, and therefore are unable to participate in classroom activities." She also said classroom infrastructure can limit charging, noting, "there aren't enough electrical plugs in our existing classroom infrastructure to allow all students to charge their Chromebook."

Representative Sadler, who asked questions about how the substitute distinguishes district-provided devices from students' personal devices, said she would not block adoption but warned the change "lets the genie back out of the bottle just a little bit," expressing concern about how districts would implement the language.

Committee members present identified at the roll call included Representatives Kolom, Kerrick, Hall and Fields. A member moved to adopt the committee substitute for House Bill 57 (work draft 34-LS 0064/N) as a working document; an initial objection was raised for the purpose of discussion and later removed, and the committee chair announced that the substitute was adopted. The committee did not record a roll-call vote in the transcript.

The committee noted the substitute aligns the bill with a proposal from the administration and the Department of Education and Early Development. Members said the committee may consider House Bill 57 in subsequent hearings with the substitute incorporated into the working draft.

The transcript records the working-draft identifier as "34-LS-0064/N" and cites added text referenced as "section 1433300A" and companion lines on page 2; the committee did not specify implementation rules, enforcement mechanisms, or specific technical standards for devices during this hearing.