Students; Department of Education's model policy on cell phone use during instructional time.

Department of Education; model policy on studentcell phone use during instructional time; local adoption. Requiresthe Department of Education to develop, adopt, and distribute to each school board a model policy whereby public elementary and secondaryschool students are prohibited from possessing or using personalcell phones or other personal handheld communication devices duringinstructional time at school. The bill requires the Department, indeveloping and adopting such model policy, to seek to balance theinterests of students' academic achievement, cognitive development,safety, and general well-being and permits the Department to include appropriate exceptions in extraordinary circumstances such as emergency situations or situations involving the need to contact the student'sparents. The bill requires each school board to develop and adopta policy that is consistent with such model policy adopted by theDepartment.