SB 948 North Carolina Senate · 2025-2026 Session

Screen Free Schools Act.

This bill requires North Carolina public schools to create policies limiting the use of wireless devices like phones and tablets during instructional time. It mandates that students in kindergarten through fifth grade cannot use any such devices in classrooms, while older students face stricter limits on device usage and access to non-instructional content like social media. To support these restrictions, the legislation appropriates funds to hire one teacher assistant for every classroom serving students in grades K through five. Additionally, the law grants parents the right to opt out of their children being issued wireless devices by the school and ensures that printed materials are used for instruction in elementary and middle schools.
Bill status died 1 of 4 stages cleared
Introduction
Apr 2026
Committee Review
Floor Vote
Governor
Introduced Apr 30, 2026 Last action May 4, 2026
Maddy AI version diff · 1 comparison

What changed between versions

Filed Edition 1 · 3 edits
MINOR
The bill's header was updated to reflect its first official edition, and the referral date was moved from an unspecified time to May 4, 2026. The document number was changed from a generic tracking code to a specific bill identifier, while the core text of the legislation remains unchanged.
TECHNICAL

The bill's document number was updated from a generic tracking code (DRS35420-NGa-159) to a specific version identifier (S948-v-1).

The 'Filed' date of April 30, 2026, was removed from the header, likely because the bill has now progressed to a new edition.

TIMELINE

A specific referral date of May 4, 2026, was added to the Rules and Operations of the Senate, replacing a blank field.

Floor votes

How they voted

No floor votes recorded yet.
Full legislative history

Actions timeline

Total actions
5
Key actions
0
Committee
2
May 4, 2026
Committee
Re-ref Com On Appropriations/Base Budget
upper
May 4, 2026
Committee
Ref To Com On Rules and Operations of the Senate
upper
Apr 30, 2026
Introduced
Filed
upper
1 primary · 1 co-sponsor

Sponsors