SB 1226
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ARIZONA HOUSE OF REPRESENTATIVES
Fifty-seventh Legislature
First Regular Session
Senate: ED DPA 5-2-0-0 | 3
rd
DPA 17-12-1-0
SB 1226: school policies; wireless communications devices
Sponsor: Representative Pingerelli LD 28
Committee on Science & Technology
Overview
Requires school district governing boards (governing boards) to adopt and publicly share
policies that limit student use of wireless communication devices during instructional time.
History
A local education agency must adopt policies regarding the use of technology and the internet
while at school that include notifying a parent of: 1) the adopted policies; and 2) the parent's
ability to prohibit their student from using technology and the internet while at school in
which personally identifiable information or material that meets prescribed criteria may be
shared with the operator of an internet website, online service, online application or mobile
application as specified (A.R.S. § 15-1046).
The State Board of Education (SBE) must establish best practices for social media and cell
phone use between students and school personnel and encourage governing boards and
governing bodies to adopt policies that implement these best practices. Additionally, statute
requires SBE to make these best practices available to public and private schools (A.R.S. §
15-203). In June 2022, SBE adopted social media and phone guidance (Social Media and
Phone Guidance for Educators).
Provisions
1. Requires each governing board to develop and adopt a policy in a public meeting to limit
students’ use of wireless communications devices during instructional time. (Sec. 1)
2. Instructs the governing board to provide the policy to parents, teachers and students at
the start of each school year and notify parents, teachers and students if any changes are
made to the policy. (Sec. 1)
3. Authorizes the policy to include any of the following:
a) a requirement that students deposit devices in a secure location during instructional
time:
b) conditions and procedures for retrieving devices from that secure location;
c) procedures for parents to contact students during instructional time;
d) procedures for students to contact parents during instructional time; and
e) conditions under which students may use devices during instructional time, including:
i. being a member of a volunteer firefighting company or an ambulance or rescue
squad;
ii. the student or a member of his family having a medical condition;
iii. the device being required by the student's individualized education program;
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iv. the device being used as a translator for English language learners;
v. the student having teacher permission to use the device for educational purposes;
and
vi. any other condition identified by the governing board. (Sec. 1)
4. Exempts a governing board from needing to develop and adopt a policy pursuant to this
Act if it already has a comparable existing policy. (Sec. 2)