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AB-235 • 2026

Pupils: use of smartphones.

Pupils: use of smartphones.

Education
Active

The official status still shows this bill as active or still awaiting another formal step.

Sponsor
Arambula
Last action
Official status
Assembly - Died - Appropriations
Effective date
Not listed

Plain English Breakdown

The official text states that policy types are 'as defined,' but it does not include those definitions, so they cannot be explained here without guessing.

AB-235: Rules for Smartphone Use in Schools

This law requires schools to create policies that limit or ban smartphone use by students while they are at school sites or under staff supervision.

What This Bill Does

  • Requires school district boards, county education boards, and charter school leaders to adopt a policy on student smartphone use by July 1, 2026.
  • Mandates that these policies be updated every five years after the initial adoption.
  • Allows schools to choose between a scheduled-based restriction or a full-day restriction for smartphones.

Who It Names or Affects

  • School district governing boards
  • County boards of education
  • Charter school governing bodies

Limits and Unknowns

  • The bill does not define exactly what counts as a 'smartphone' in this context.
  • Reimbursement for costs depends on whether the Commission on State Mandates determines that state-mandated costs exist.

Bill History

  1. California Legislative Information

    Assembly - Died - Appropriations

Official Summary Text

Pupils: use of smartphones.