HB 5149 — AN ACT CONCERNING PHONE-FREE SCHOOLS.

House of Representatives General Assembly RaisedFile Bill No.

5149407 February Session, 2026 LCOSubstitute House Bill No.

11965149 ReferredHouse toof Representatives, April 7, 2026 The Committee on EDUCATIONEducation Introducedreported by:through REP.

(ED)LEEPER ANof ACTthe CONCERNING132nd PHONE-FREEDist., SCHOOLS.Chairperson of the Committee on the part of the House, that the substitute bill ought to pass.

AN ACT CONCERNING PHONE-FREE SCHOOLS.

(a) No student in a public school in the state shall possess or use a remotely[remotely activatedactivated] paging device unless such student obtains the written permission of the school principal for such possession and use.

The principal shall grant such permission only if the student or [his] the student's parent or guardian establishes to the satisfaction of the principal that a reasonable basis exists for the possession and use of the paging device.

In determining whether to restrict such possession or use, the local or regional board of education shall consider the special needs of parents and students.] (b)sHB5149 (1)/ AsFile usedNo. in this subsection:

LCO407 1 sHB5149 File No.

1196407 1(b) of(1) 4As Raisedused Billin No.5149this (A)"Mobilesubsection: electronic device" meansany hand-heldor other portable electronic equipment capable of providing data communication between two or more individuals, including, but not limited to, a cellular mobile telephone, a text messaging device, a paging device, a personal digital assistant, a laptop computer, equipment that is capable of playing a video game or a digital video disk or equipment on which digital images are taken or transmitted;

(A)"Mobile electronic device"meansany hand-heldor other portable electronic equipment capable of providing data communication between two or more individuals, including, but not limited to, a cellular mobile telephone, a text messaging device, a paging device, a personal digital assistant, a laptop computer, equipment that is capable of playing a video game or a digital video disk or equipment on which digital images are taken or transmitted;

(2) In accordance with the local policy adopted pursuant to subdivision (3) of this subsection, no student enrolled in grades kindergarten to twelve, inclusive, in a public school in the state shall possess or use a personal mobile electronic device during the regular school day, except a student shall be permitted to possess or use a personal mobile electronic device if such possession or use is necessary toimplementtheprovisionsofanindividualizededucationprogramfor(A) to implement the provisions of an individualized education program for such student or a plan pursuant to Section 504 of the Rehabilitation Act of 1973, as amended from time to time, for such student.student, or (B) for the health and well-being of such student as determined by a licensed physician, physician assistant or advanced practice registered nurse.

Such local policy shall include, but need not be limited to, (A) a prohibition on such possession or use by students on school grounds during the regular school day, (B) provisions regarding the storage of personal mobile electronic devices during the regular school day, including a requirement that such personal mobile electronic devices are inaccessible to students while in such storage, (C) a system of discipline for violating thesHB5149 provisions/ ofFile such local policy, and (D) provisions regarding the student use of LCO No.

1196407 2 ofsHB5149 4File Raised Bill No.

5149407 the provisions of such local policy, and (D) provisions permitting the student possession or use of personal mobile electronic devices during the regular school day (i) to implement the provisions of an individualized education program for such student or a plan pursuant to Section 504 of the Rehabilitation Act of 1973, as amended from time to time, for such student, or (ii) if a licensed physician, physician assistant or advanced practice registered nurse has determined that such possession or use is necessary for the health and well-being of such student.

3 July 1, 2026 10-222aa(8) StatementsHB5149 of/ Purpose:File No.

To407 limit3 thesHB5149 useFile ofNo. cell phones during the school day and to prohibit school districts from using social media as the only means of providing information to families.

LCO407 No.Statement of Legislative Commissioners:

1196In 3Section of1(a), 4opening Raisedand Billclosing No.brackets were inserted around "remotely activated" and "paging" was added before "device", for consistency.

5149ED [ProposedJoint deletionsFavorable areSubst. enclosed in brackets.

ProposedsHB5149 additions/ areFile indicated by underline, except that when the entire text of a bill or resolution or a section of a bill or resolution is new, it is not underlined.] LCO No.

1196407 4 ofsHB5149 4File No.

407 The following Fiscal Impact Statement and Bill Analysis are prepared for the benefit of the members of the General Assembly, solely for purposes of information, summarization and explanation and do not represent the intent of the General Assembly or either chamber thereof for any purpose.

In general, fiscal impacts are based upon a variety of informational sources, including the analyst’s professional knowledge.

Whenever applicable, agency data is consulted as part of the analysis, however final products do not necessarily reflect an assessment from any specific department.

OFA Fiscal Note State Impact:

None Municipal Impact:

None Explanation The bill has no fiscal impact.

It:

(1) requires local and regional boards of education (BOEs) to develop and adopt a policy prohibiting student cell phone use during the regular school day except in certain circumstances;

and (2) prohibits BOEs from using social media as the exclusive means to directly communicate with parents and guardians.

It is anticipated that BOEs can meet the requirements of the bill with existing resources.

The Out Years State Impact:

None Municipal Impact:

None sHB5149 / File No.

407 5 sHB5149 File No.

407 OLR Bill Analysis sHB 5149 AN ACT CONCERNING PHONE-FREE SCHOOLS.

This bill bans public school students in grades kindergarten through from possessing or using personal mobile electronic devices (“personal devices”) during the regular school day, with certain exceptions.

It defines a mobile electronic device as any handheld or portable electronic equipment that can provide data communication between two or more people, including cell phones, text messaging devices, laptops, gaming equipment, and equipment for taking digital images.

Under the bill, the ban applies only to devices owned or controlled bystudents(ortheirparentsorguardians),notthoseschoolboardsissue to students.