Schools; extending prohibition on use of cell phones and personal electronic devices on certain campuses; effective date; emergency.

Changed the requirement from a mandatory ban on cell phones to a mandate that districts adopt a policy prohibiting use, which may include exceptions for emergencies.

Added a provision allowing school district boards to vote to adopt a policy permitting student cell phone use, subject to annual board approval.

Updated the effective date of the act from July 1, 2026, to July 1, 2025.

Updated the legislative session reference from the 2nd Session of the 60th Legislature to the 1st Session of the 60th Legislature.

Changed the bill type from a 'Floor Substitute' to an 'Oversight Committee Substitute' and updated the sponsor list to reflect committee changes.

The legislative session was changed from the 1st Session (2025) to the 2nd Session (2026), and the effective date was updated from July 1, 2025, to July 1, 2026.

The requirement for school districts to adopt a policy was modified to explicitly state that the policy must prohibit cell phone use from 'bell to bell' (start to end of instructional time) rather than the entire school day.

The timeline for policy adoption was changed: the 2025-2026 school year requires a ban, while subsequent years allow districts to adopt a ban rather than mandating it.

New language was added to require the policy to include specific disciplinary procedures for violations of the cell phone ban.

The provision allowing districts to opt out of the ban was removed and replaced with a requirement that districts must adopt a policy prohibiting use.

The bill text was reformatted from a 'new law' section to an 'amendatory' section that explicitly cites the specific statute being amended.

The title and header changed from 'Proposed Policy Committee Substitute' to 'Oversight Committee Substitute,' reflecting a procedural update in the legislative process.

Page tracking numbers and bill reference codes (e.g., Req. No. 12384 to 12550) were updated to correspond with the new committee version.

Changed the requirement from a mandatory ban to a default ban that districts can override by voting to allow device usage.

Added a new requirement that any policy allowing device usage must be reviewed and approved by the district board annually.

Changed the effective date from July 1, 2026, to July 1, 2025.

Updated the definition of 'school day' to clarify it covers the time between the first and final instructional bells.

Updated the statutory citation to Title 70, Section 24-162, and changed the bill title to reflect the new opt-out provision.

The effective date was delayed from July 1, 2025, to July 1, 2026, and the mandatory policy implementation was moved to the 2025-2026 school year.

The requirement for districts to ban devices was changed from the entire school day to only during instructional time ('bell to bell').

The list of prohibited devices was expanded to explicitly include smart glasses and smart headphones.

The option for districts to voluntarily adopt a ban was moved from the 2025-2026 school year to the 2026-2027 school year.

Sponsor names were updated to reflect the final legislative vote, and the bill format was changed to the official enrolled version for signing.

The effective date of the act was changed from July 1, 2025, to July 1, 2026.

The requirement for school districts to adopt a cell phone prohibition policy for the 2025-2026 school year was removed.

The requirement for school districts to adopt a cell phone prohibition policy was changed to apply only to the 2026-2027 school year and thereafter.

The definition of prohibited devices was broadened to include laptops, tablets, smart headphones, and smart glasses, not just cell phones and smartwatches.

Districts are now required to adopt a ban for the 2025-2026 school year, removing the previous option for districts to opt out of the prohibition.

The effective date of the legislation was changed from July 1, 2025, to July 1, 2026.