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

Assembly Member Hoover's proposal to modify California's school smartphone policies would require educational institutions to explicitly address emergency-related device restrictions within their comprehensive safety plans. The measure amends current law, which permits schools to limit smartphone use during emergencies without formal documentation of these protocols.

Under the proposed changes, school districts, county offices of education, and charter schools must develop and adopt smartphone usage policies by July 1, 2026, with mandatory updates every five years. These policies require extensive stakeholder input from students, parents, and educators to address community-specific needs. While schools maintain authority to restrict device access, they must now detail any emergency-related prohibitions within their safety plans.

The legislation preserves existing exemptions that allow smartphone possession when authorized by school administrators, deemed medically necessary by a physician, or required by a student's individualized education program. The measure also maintains the prohibition on schools monitoring or accessing students' online activities, while allowing for enforcement mechanisms to regulate device access on campus.