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ARIZONA STATE SENATE
Fifty-Seventh Legislature, First Regular Session
AMENDED
school policies; wireless communications devices
Purpose
Requires each school district governing board (governing board) to develop and adopt a policy to limit students' use of wireless communications devices during instructional time. Outlines requirements that the policies may include.
Background
The State Board of Education (SBE) must establish best practices for social media and cellular telephone use between students and school personnel, including teachers, coaches and counselors, and encourage school district governing boards and charter school governing bodies to adopt policies that implement the best practices. The SBE must make the best practices available to both public and private schools (A.R.S. § 15-203).
A local
education agency must adopt policies regarding the use of technology and the
internet while at school, which must include notifying a parent of the adopted
policies and the parent's ability to prohibit the student from using technology
and the internet while at school in which personally identifiable information
or material may be shared with an operator (A.R.S.
§ 15-1046)
There is no anticipated fiscal impact to the state General Fund associated with this legislation.
Provisions
1. Requires each governing board to develop and adopt a policy in a public meeting to limit students' use of wireless communication devices, including gaming devices and video players, during instructional time.
2. Requires a school district, at the beginning of each school year, to:
a) provide parents, teachers and students a copy of the policy adopted by the governing board; and
b) notify parents, teachers and students of any changes to the policy.
3. Exempts a school district from the requirement to develop and adopt a policy to limit students' use of wireless communication devices as outlined if the school district has an existing policy to limit students' use of wireless communications devices instructional time on the effective date.
4. Allows a policy to limit students' use of wireless communications devices to include:
a) a requirement that each student deposit the student's wireless communications device or devices into a secure location in a school building during instructional time and procedures for the deposits;
b) the conditions under which a student may retrieve the student's wireless communications device or devices from the secure location and procedures for the retrieval;
c) procedures for a student's parent to contact the student during instructional time;
d) procedures for a student to contact the student's parent during instructional time; and
e) the conditions under which a student may use the student's wireless communications device or devices during instructional time.
5. Specifies that the conditions under which a student may use a wireless communications device or devices during instructional time must include conditions for:
a) a student who is a member of a volunteer firefighting company or an ambulance or rescue squad;
b) a student who needs the student's wireless communications device because the student or a member of the student's immediate family has a medical condition;
c) a student whose wireless communications device is required by the student's individualized education program;
d) a student who has obtained permission from the student's teacher to use the wireless communications device for educational purposes; and
e) any other condition identified by the governing board.
6. Makes technical changes.
7. Becomes effective on the general effective date.
Amendments Adopted by Committee
1. Requires a governing board to adopt and develop a policy as outlined to limit, rather than restrict or eliminate, students' use of wireless communication devices.
2. Allows, rather than requires, the policy to limit students' use of wireless communication devices to contain outlined requirements and procedures.
3. Exempts a school district from the requirement to develop and adopt a policy as outlined if the school district has an existing policy to limit students' use of wireless communications devices instructional time on the general effective date.
4. Makes technical changes.
Senate Action
ED 2/19/25 DPA 5-2-0
Prepared by Senate Research
February 24, 2025
MH/SDR/ci