Iowa § 279.88 - 279.88 Limitation on use of personal electronic devices.

§ 279.88. 279.88 Limitation on use of personal electronic devices.

1. Commencing with the school year beginning July 1, 2025, the board of directors of each school district shall adopt policies regarding student use of personal electronic devices during school hours that restrict student use of such devices during classroom instructional time. The policies must meet all of the following requirements: a. Identify policies and information related to various educational devices and technologies that will be made available to students for instructional purposes. b. Identify the methods that a parent or guardian of a student may use to communicate with the student during school hours or while the student is participating in a school-sponsored activity. c. Identify the methods that a parent or guardian of a student may use to communicate with the student during an emergency situation. d. Include protocols that the school district will use to securely store a student’s personal electronic device when such device is in the possession of the school district. e. Specify the discipline associated with a student’s violation of the policies, including the discipline associated with a student’s use of a personal electronic device during classroom instruction or during the administration of an assessment. f. Establish a process through which a student’s parent or guardian may petition the school district to allow the student to maintain access to the student’s personal electronic device during the portion of the school day in which classroom instructional time is delivered if the student’s parent or guardian can establish that there is a legitimate reason related to the student’s physical or mental health for the student to maintain access to the device during such time. g. Allow a student who has an individualized education program, or a plan under section 504 of the federal Rehabilitation Act, 29 U.S.C. §794, to maintain access to the student’s personal electronic device during the portion of the school day in which classroom instructional time is delivered if the student’s individualized education program, or plan under section 504 of the federal Rehabilitation Act, 29 U.S.C. §794, requires the student to maintain such access. 2. The board of directors of a school district may adopt policies that limit student use of personal electronic devices during school hours, including the use of such devices during classroom instructional time, that are more stringent than the model policies developed and distributed by the director of the department of education pursuant to section 256.9, subsection 69. 3. For purposes of this section, “personal electronic device” includes but is not limited to electronic communication equipment, mobile phones, smart phones, video game devices, and portable media players. 4. The state board of education may adopt rules pursuant to chapter 17A to administer this section. 2025 Acts, ch 36, §2, 4 Referred to in §256.9 NEW section Thu Dec 11 19:28:43 2025 Iowa Code 2026, Section 279.88 (2, 2)