As Introduced
136th General Assembly
Regular Session S. B. No. 158
2025-2026
Senator Timken
To amend section 3313.753 of the Revised Code to
generally prohibit student cellular telephone
use in public schools.
BE IT ENACTED BY THE GENERAL ASSEMBLY OF THE STATE OF OHIO:
Section 1. That section 3313.753 of the Revised Code be
amended to read as follows:
Sec. 3313.753. (A) As used in this section:
(1) "Electronic communications device" means any device
that is powered by batteries or electricity and that is capable
of receiving, transmitting, or receiving and transmitting
communications between two or more persons or a communication
from or to a person.
(2) "School" means any school that is operated by a board
of education of a city, local, exempted village, or joint
vocational school district.
(3) "School building" means any building in which any of
the instruction, extracurricular activities, or training
provided by a school is conducted.
(4) "School grounds or premises" means either of the
following:
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As Introduced
(a) The parcel of real property on which any school
building is situated;
(b) Any other parcel of real property that is owned or
leased by a board of education and on which some of the
instruction, extracurricular activities, or training of the
school is conducted.
(B) The board of education of any city, exempted village,
local, joint vocational, or cooperative education school
district may adopt a policy prohibiting students from carrying
an electronic communications device in any school building or on
any school grounds or premises of the district. The policy may
provide for exceptions to this prohibition as specified in the
policy. The policy shall specify any disciplinary measures that
will be taken for violation of this prohibition.
If a board of education adopts a policy under this
division, the board shall post the policy in a central location
in each school building and make it available to students and
parents upon request.
(C)(C)(1) Not later than the first day of July that
immediately follows the effective date of this
amendmentSeptember 1, 2025, each school district board of
education shall adopt a policy governing the use of cellular
telephones by students during school hours. The policy shall do
all of the following:
(1) Emphasize that student cellular telephone use be as
limited as possible during school hours;
(2) Reduce cellular telephone-related distractions in
classroom settings;
(3)prohibit all cellular telephone use by students during
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As Introduced
the instructional day, except as described in division (C)(2) of
this section.
(2) If determined appropriate by the district board, or if
included in a student's individualized education program
developed under Chapter 3323. of the Revised Code or plan
developed under section 504 of the "Rehabilitation Act of 1973,"
29 U.S.C. 794, permit students to may use cellular telephones or
other electronic communications devices for student learning or
to monitor or address a health concern.
(D) Division (C) of this section shall not be construed to
require a district board to adopt a policy that prohibits all
cellular telephone use by students. Nonetheless, any Any
district board that adopts a policy that prohibits all cellular
telephone use by students shall be considered to have met the
requirements in division (C) of this section.
(E) Any district board that adopts a policy that meets the
requirements prescribed in division (C) of this section prior to
the effective date of this amendment the effective date of this
amendment, shall be considered to have met the requirement to
adopt a policy under this section.
(F) Each district board that adopts a policy under this
section after the effective date of this amendment the effective
date of this amendment, shall do so at a public meeting of the
board.
(G) Each district board shall make any policy it adopts
under this section publicly available and post it prominently on
its publicly accessible web site, if it has one.
(H) Not later than sixty days after the effective date of
this amendment, the department of education and workforce shall
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develop a model policy that meets the requirements prescribed in
division (C) of this section. To the extent possible, the model
policy shall take into account available research concerning the
effect of the use of cellular telephones by students in school
settings. The model policy may be utilized by districts and
schools.
Section 2. That existing section 3313.753 of the Revised
Code is hereby repealed.
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