HB 2029 Arizona House · 57th Legislature - First Regular Session

internet safety instruction; public schools

HB 2029 requires Arizona public schools (districts and charters) to provide internet safety instruction to students in grades 5-12 starting in the 2026-2027 school year. The instruction must cover protecting against online predators, avoiding scams, securing passwords/personal information, and recognizing opioid/fentanyl risks. Schools must offer parents an opt-out option for their child’s participation, and the state education department must compile age-appropriate resources by June 2026. This bill directly affects all K-12 schools providing student internet access and their families through the opt-out process.

Issues: ✓ Education ✓ Technology

Bill status passed 3 of 5 stages cleared

Introduction

Jan 2025

Committee Review

Mar 2025

House Passage

Mar 2025

Senate Passage

Governor

Introduced Jan 7, 2025 Last action Mar 26, 2025

Maddy AI version diff · 1 comparison

What changed between versions

Introduced Version → House Engrossed Version · 6 edits · Mar 3, 2025

MODERATE

The bill was substantially rewritten from a new internet safety instruction requirement to a digital citizenship and media literacy attestation requirement. The original version mandated specific internet safety lessons for grades 5-12 starting in 2026-2027 with parental opt-out options, while the new version requires schools to annually attest they are teaching digital citizenship and media literacy standards without any specific content requirements or parental opt-out provisions.

Scope change

The bill's scope shifted from requiring specific internet safety instruction content to requiring schools to attest they are teaching existing digital citizenship and media literacy standards found in other educational standards.

REQUIREMENT

Removed mandatory internet safety instruction requirements for grades 5-12 including specific topics like protecting from online predators, avoiding internet scams, and protecting passwords and personal information.

Removed requirement for Department of Education to compile age-appropriate internet safety resources by June 30, 2026.

Removed parental opt-out provision allowing parents to opt students out of internet safety instruction.

Added annual attestation requirement for all schools operated by school districts or charter schools stating they provide instruction meeting digital citizenship and media literacy standards.

Added requirement for school districts and charter schools to submit attestations to Department of Education and post copies on their websites.

TIMELINE

Changed effective date from beginning in 2026-2027 school year to beginning in 2026-2027 school year with annual attestation requirements.

Floor votes · House Mar 3, 2025

How they voted

46–12

Passed · 2 other

Total votes 60

Mar 3, 2025

D Democratic27

26 Yea 1

96% Yea

R Republican33

20 Yea 12 Nay 1

60% Yea

Vote distribution

All Yea All Nay Mixed No data

Full legislative history

Actions timeline

Total actions

Key actions

Committee

Amendments

Mar 26, 2025

Upper · Passed

upper

Mar 3, 2025

Lower · Passed

PASSED

lower

Feb 27, 2025

Lower · Passed

DPA

lower

Feb 18, 2025

Lower · Passed

DPA/SE

lower

1 primary · 0 co-sponsors