Committee advances bill limiting student use of personal electronic devices during school hours
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Summary
The Committee on Education amended and passed House Bill 2,421, which requires school districts and accredited nonpublic schools to adopt policies prohibiting student use of personal electronic devices during normal school hours, includes an exception for monitored district platforms, and adds a liability protection for districts; one substantive amendment changed one requirement from mandatory to discretionary (11–6).
The Committee on Education on Friday advanced House Bill 2,421, directing school districts and accredited nonpublic schools to adopt policies prohibiting students from using personal electronic communication devices during normal school hours and requiring districts to certify those policies to the State Board of Education.
Jason, the reviser, told the committee the bill "prohibits the use of personal electronic communication devices by students while at school" and allows districts discretion to adopt rules for devices at school-sponsored events outside regular hours. He also said the bill would bar school employees from communicating with students through social media platforms for official purposes and would require districts to report average screen time for grades 1–4.
Supporters and committee members debated a string of conceptual and technical amendments. The committee adopted changes that: strike a reporting-hours clause; remove language referring to "official school purposes" at the reviser's suggestion; require any school-approved social media platform to be under district control and monitored; add a provision holding districts harmless for lost or damaged student devices while preserving a district's option to reimburse students in cases of negligence; and prohibit private two-way texting or phone calls between staff and students except when the staff member is a parent or legal guardian.
Representative Featherston framed the issue as a public-health concern during debate, saying, "When I talked to people in my caucus who supported a cell phone ban, they said it was because this is a public health crisis." Other members emphasized local control and urged voting according to district preferences.
One contested change that passed on a roll-call division (11–6) converted a requirement on page 1 from "shall" to "may," making that provision discretionary for local governing bodies while leaving other prohibitions intact. On implementation timing, the reviser advised the act would take effect July 1, 2026, to be in place for the 2026–27 school year, with boards required to submit certification of implementation by September 1, 2026.
After calling the question, the chair announced, "Ayes have it. The bill is passed." The transcript records the committee's passage by voice vote; a later roll call was not recorded in the transcript.
Next steps: The committee passed HB 2,421 out of committee; any further changes would depend on floor action and additional drafting. The committee then opened—and heard testimony on—House Bill 2,576 (Aaron's Law).
