Pupil safety: comprehensive school safety plans: use of smartphones.

Assembly Member Hoover’s measure anchors pupil safety in school smartphone rules by requiring a local policy to restrict or prohibit smartphone use that districts must develop and renew on a five-year cycle, with an initial deadline in 2026 and a stated objective to support learning and well-being through evidence-based practices developed with broad stakeholder participation. The policy would apply to smartphones at school sites or under school supervision and may include enforcement mechanisms, while preserving a privacy safeguard that prohibits monitoring or collecting data on pupils’ online activities.

The proposal retains the overall obligation for districts, county offices of education, and charter schools to craft a smartphone-use policy, but adds the five-year update cadence and a requirement for substantial stakeholder engagement. The policy’s development is intended to reflect community needs and educator input, and to be aligned with the broader comprehensive safety framework guiding school operations and safety planning.

Exceptions to the general prohibition are maintained, with a key adjustment: the allowance for emergency or perceived-threat situations depends on whether the scenario is explicitly addressed in the district’s comprehensive safety plan. Additional exceptions remain available when a pupil has teacher or administrator permission (within reasonable limits), when a licensed physician determines a health necessity, or when smartphone use is required by a pupil’s individualized education program. The privacy provision continues to bar any authorization to monitor or access a pupil’s online activities.

Implementation is local in nature, as the measure does not include new state funding or state-mirected funding mechanisms. Districts would bear the costs of policy development, stakeholder engagement, and ongoing updates, as well as any necessary alignment with their safety plans. By tying smartphone-use policies to the district’s safety planning process and requiring regular renewal and inclusive development, the proposal situates device management within the broader framework of school safety and student well-being while preserving local discretion and privacy protections.