Washington § 28A.320.135 - Telecommunication and mobile devices — Limits on possession and use — Policies and procedures — Definitions.

(1) School district boards of directors may adopt policies and procedures that limit the possession and use of (a) paging telecommunication devices by students that emit audible signals, vibrate, display a message, or otherwise summons or delivers a communication to the possessor, and (b) mobile devices by students. When considering the adoption of policies and procedures that limit student possession or use of mobile devices during instructional hours, school district boards of directors are encouraged to review recommendations provided by the office of the superintendent of public instruction to the legislature in accordance with section 4, chapter 225, Laws of 2026.

(2) For purposes of this section, "instructional hours" has the same meaning as in RCW 28A.150.205, and "mobile device" has the same meaning as in RCW 28A.650.010.

Findings—Intent—2026 c 225: "(1) The legislature finds that student use of mobile devices in schools has had a multitude of negative effects on student outcomes. Mobile devices can be a constant distraction that disrupts the learning environment for all students. According to a study from the London School of Economics and Political Science, and as replicated by other researchers, the mere presence of a smartphone by a neighboring student lowers a nonphone student's test performance by about six percent. A study from the University of California, Irvine showed that it can take 20 minutes for students to refocus after each phone distraction and a separate study by the pew research center found that 72 percent of high school teachers in the United States say that cell phone distraction is a major problem in their classroom.

(2) The legislature further finds that mobile devices can increase harm to students' mental health either by recording students without consent or through increased cyberbullying. Washington students are still recovering from the massive effects of school closures during the COVID-19 pandemic, including severe learning loss and troubling trends in student mental health.

(3) The legislature recognizes the need for students to learn how to safely, ethically, responsibly, and effectively use technology through digital citizenship and media literacy in schools and for school policies to support best practices when it comes to the use of technology.

(4) The legislature intends to build on this learning and help public schools implement best practices by providing research on student use of mobile devices and recommended best practice strategies for teaching students how to use their mobile devices responsibly. The legislature further intends to review information on the policies and procedures that public schools are adopting regarding student use of mobile devices and understand the barriers that public schools experience implementing these policies and procedures. The legislature will then consider the office of the superintendent of public instruction's evidence-based recommendations related to student mobile device use with a goal of enabling every school district in Washington to implement a bell-to-bell cell phone policy that is tailored to the needs of their community by 2030." [ 2026 c 225 s 1.]

Findings—Intent—Severability—1997 c 266: See notes following RCW 28A.600.455.