ENROLLED
ACT No. 222
2022 Regular Session
HOUSE BILL NO. 548
BY REPRESENTATIVES FREEMAN, MOORE, AND SCHLEGEL AND SENATORS
BARROW AND MIZELL
1 AN ACT
2 To enact R.S. 17:3921.4, relative to digital devices in public schools; to require the state
3 Department of Education to develop health and safety guidelines for the use of
4 digital devices in public schools; to require collaboration with the Louisiana
5 Department of Health and others in developing the guidelines; to provide for the
6 content of the guidelines; to require the state Department of Education to distribute
7 the guidelines to public school governing authorities; to provide for an effective date;
8 and to provide for related matters.
9 Be it enacted by the Legislature of Louisiana:
10 Section 1. R.S. 17:3921.4 is hereby enacted to read as follows:
11 ยง3921.4. Digital devices in public schools; health and safety guidelines
12 A. The state Department of Education, in collaboration with the Louisiana
13 Department of Health and medical practitioners in relevant specialties such as
14 ophthalmology, optometry, childhood obesity, heart disease, sleep occupational
15 therapy, kinesiology, and ergonomics as well as parents, teachers, and school
16 administrators, shall develop health and safety guidelines relative to best practices
17 for the effective integration of digital devices in public schools. The state
18 Department of Education shall distribute the guidelines to public school governing
19 authorities for implementation.
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1 B. The guidelines shall be based on peer-reviewed, independently funded
2 studies and shall address, at a minimum, digital device use for different age ranges
3 and developmental levels, the amount of time spent on school-issued digital devices
4 in the classroom and at home, appropriate break frequency from the use of digital
5 devices, the physical positioning of digital devices in the classroom, the use of digital
6 devices for homework, and the training of teachers relative to these issues.
7 C. The department shall review the guidelines at least once annually and
8 revise them based on updated medical information, as needed. The department shall
9 distribute revised guidelines to each public school governing authority.
10 Section 2. The state Department of Education shall distribute guidelines to public
11 school governing authorities pursuant to R.S. 17:3291.4(A) as enacted by this Act not later
12 than January 1, 2023.
13 Section 3. This Act shall become effective upon signature by the governor or, if not
14 signed by the governor, upon expiration of the time for bills to become law without signature
15 by the governor, as provided by Article III, Section 18 of the Constitution of Louisiana. If
16 vetoed by the governor and subsequently approved by the legislature, this Act shall become
17 effective on the day following such approval.
SPEAKER OF THE HOUSE OF REPRESENTATIVES
PRESIDENT OF THE SENATE
GOVERNOR OF THE STATE OF LOUISIANA
APPROVED:
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CODING: Words in struck through type are deletions from existing law; words underscored
are additions.