HOUSTON, Texas – Texas schools are starting the new academic year with a clear message: personal devices are not allowed in the classroom.
A new state law, House Bill 1481 (HB 1481), passed earlier this summer, prohibits students K through 12th grade from using all personal communication devices during the school day.
HB 1481 defines personal communication devices as smartphones, flip phones, tablets, smartwatches, radio devices, pagers, or any electronic device capable of telecommunication or digital communication.
If students don’t follow the phone policy, depending on their school’s protocols, here’s what to expect:
The school will hold the device at the front office until the end of the day for pickup. Parents and guardians are the only ones allowed to retrieve devices.
School districts can decide to charge a fee of no more than $15 for you to retrieve a device.
If no one picks up a phone or device in 90 days, schools have the legal right to dispose of them.
The ban has three main exceptions. Students CAN use their device IF:
They need it for special education services like Individual Education Programs (IEPs) or 504 plan. A 504 plan is for students who need extra help in school and are given special arrangements to remove barriers to learning. They have a doctor’s note saying they need their device for medical reasons such as diabetes, epilepsy, or other chronic conditions that need monitoring.
They need it for health or safety purposes imposed by law or the school’s safety protocols-- like the Americans with Disabilities Act, or if the student is part of the school’s safety team.
When it comes to implementing the new mandate, schools also have a lot of leeway.
Some schools may use what’s called a ‘three strikes’ warning system. This means students get three chances when it comes to phone violations. The first time they break the rules, they get a warning. The second time, there’s a more serious consequence. If it happens a third time, they face the most severe consequence - that’s their final “strike.” The most severe consequence will vary depending on your school’s protocols, but in most cases, it would result in In-School Suspension (ISS).
Other schools may have students drop off their phones at the front office when they arrive in the morning. This way, phones are completely removed from classrooms during the school day.
There is an even newer method some schools will try that involves using special phone lock pouches.. With this system, students put their phones in pouches that seal shut and can’t be opened until the end of the day. While students can keep these pouches with them, they can’t actually use their phones until the pouches are unlocked at dismissal time.
Overall, the law does not prohibit students from bringing their devices onto school property, unless said otherwise in their school’s policy. The law does not allow students to use their personal devices during school hours.
Remember-- this law does not prohibit students from having a personal communication device on their person-- they are just not allowed to use it during school hours.
To find out how your student’s school district is enforcing the new mandate, click on one of the links below:
This is the final version of HB 1481, which passed on June 20, 2025.
H.B. No. 1481-
AN ACT
relating to school district and open-enrollment charter school
policies regarding student use of personal communication devices.
BE IT ENACTED BY THE LEGISLATURE OF THE STATE OF TEXAS:
SECTION 1. Section 37.082, Education Code, is amended to
read as follows:
Sec. 37.082. STUDENT USE [POSSESSION] OF PERSONAL
COMMUNICATION [PAGING] DEVICES. (a) Notwithstanding any other law
and subject to Subsection (c), the [The] board of trustees of a
school district or the governing body of an open-enrollment charter
school shall [may] adopt, implement, and ensure the district or
school complies with a written policy prohibiting a student from
using [possessing] a personal communication [paging] device while
on school property during the school day [or while attending a
school-sponsored or school-related activity on or off school
property]. The policy must [may] establish disciplinary measures
to be imposed for violation of the prohibition and may provide for
confiscation of the personal communication [paging] device.
(b) The policy may provide for the school district or
open-enrollment charter school to:
(1) comply with this section by:
(A) prohibiting a student from bringing a
personal communication device on school property; or
(B) designating a method for the storage of a
student's personal communication device while the student is on
school property during the school day; and
(2) dispose of a confiscated personal communication
[paging] device in any reasonable manner after having provided the
student's parent 90 [and the company whose name and address or
telephone number appear on the device 30] days' prior notice in
writing of the district's or school's [its] intent to dispose of
that device. [The notice shall include the serial number of the
device and may be made by telephone, telegraph, or in writing; and
[(2) charge the owner of the device or the student's
parent an administrative fee not to exceed $15 before it releases
the device.]
(c) In adopting the policy, the board of trustees of a
school district or governing body of an open-enrollment charter
school must authorize the use of a personal communication device:
(1) necessary to implement an individualized
education program, a plan created under Section 504, Rehabilitation
Act of 1973 (29 U.S.C. Section 794), or a similar program or plan;
(2) by a student with a documented need based on a
directive from a qualified physician; or
(3) necessary to comply with a health or safety
requirement imposed by law or as part of the district's or school's
safety protocols.
(d) In this section, "personal communication [paging]
device" means a telephone, cell phone such as a smartphone or flip
phone, tablet, smartwatch, radio device, paging device, or any
other electronic [telecommunications] device capable of
telecommunication or digital communication [that emits an audible
signal, vibrates, displays a message, or otherwise summons or
delivers a communication to the possessor]. The term does not
include an electronic device provided to a student by a school
district or open-enrollment charter school [an amateur radio under
the control of an operator who holds an amateur radio station
license issued by the Federal Communications Commission].
(e) The agency shall develop and publish on the agency's
Internet website model language for the policy required under this
section.
(f) This section does not apply to an adult education
program operated under a charter granted under Subchapter G,
Chapter 12.
SECTION 2. As soon as practicable, but not later than the
90th day after the effective date of this Act, the board of trustees
of a school district or the governing body of an open-enrollment
charter school shall adopt the policy required by Section 37.082,
Education Code, as amended by this Act.
SECTION 3. This Act takes effect immediately if it receives
a vote of two-thirds of all the members elected to each house, as
provided by Section 39, Article III, Texas Constitution. If this
Act does not receive the vote necessary for immediate effect, this
Act takes effect September 1, 2025.
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