Establishes Distraction Free Schools Grant Program; appropriates $2 million.

S3299

SENATE, No. 3299

STATE OF NEW JERSEY

222nd LEGISLATURE

�

INTRODUCED FEBRUARY 2, 2026

Sponsored by:

Senator� KRISTIN M. CORRADO

District 40 (Bergen, Essex and Passaic)

SYNOPSIS

���� Establishes Distraction Free Schools Grant Program;
appropriates $2 million.

CURRENT VERSION OF TEXT

���� As introduced.

��

An Act
establishing a grant program to promote the limited use
of cell phones and social media in public schools, supplementing chapter 6 of
Title 18A of the New Jersey Statutes, and making an appropriation.

����
Be It
Enacted
by the Senate and General Assembly of
the State of New Jersey:

���� 1.��� The Legislature finds
and declares that:

���� a.� Student use of cell phones
and social media is associated with risks including, but not limited to, mental
health issues, learning loss, and poor academic performance.

���� b.� The United States Surgeon
General Dr. Vivek Murthy released an advisory concerning the effects of social
media use on youth mental health and is calling for a Congress to add a surgeon
general�s warning label to social media platforms.

���� c.� Several state
legislatures, including California, Florida, Pennsylvania, and New York have
also introduced legislation to address student use of cell phones and social
media platforms in schools.

���� d.� To ensure a robust
academic environment in the public schools of the State, it is imperative that
the Legislature takes action to encourage public schools to promote limited
student use of cell phones and social media platforms in schools.

���� 2.��� a.� The Commissioner of
Education shall establish a �Distraction Free Schools Grant Program.� The grant
program shall provide grants to public schools to promote the limited use of
cell phones and social media platforms during regular school hours and during
school-sanctioned events where the student is under the direct supervision of a
teaching staff member or employee of the public school.

���� b.� The Department of
Education shall develop and recommend best practices and programs concerning
student use of cell phones and social media platforms for public schools
receiving a grant under the program. The recommendations shall, at a minimum:

���� (1) provide age appropriate
and grade-level differentiated policies concerning limiting student use of cell
phones and social media platforms;

���� (2) be consistent with State
and federal law, including accommodations provided in a student�s
Individualized Education Program or educational plan established pursuant to
the �Individuals with Disabilities Education Act,� 20 U.S.C. s.1400 et seq., or
section 504 of the �Rehabilitation Act of 1973,� 29 U.S.C. s.794;

���� (3) permit student use of cell
phones in the case of an emergency or in response to a perceived threat of
danger;

���� (4) permit student use of cell
phones upon submission by a parent or guardian of documentation from a health
care professional indicating that the use of a cell phone is necessary for the
health or well-being of the student;

���� (5) address smartphones, cell
phones with only text or voice functions, and other relevant devices, including
smart watches;

���� (6) list options that may be
utilized by a public school for cell phone storage, including pouches and cell
phone lockers;

���� (7) provide recommendations
for a public school to establish network-based restrictions to prevent the use
of, or access to, social media platforms; and

���� (8) detail protocols for
communicating the school�s policy concerning student use of cell phones and
social media platforms to students, their families, and teaching staff members.

���� c.� The recommendations shall
promote student learning and well-being. In developing the guidelines, the
commissioner shall involve stakeholders to ensure that the guidelines are
responsive to the needs of students, parents, and teaching staff members.

���� d.� The department shall
provide technical assistance and training to public schools that receive a
grant under the program.

���� 3.��� a.� A public school
wishing to participate in the Distraction Free Schools Grant Program shall
submit an application to the Commissioner of Education in a form and manner
prescribed by the commissioner. The application shall detail how the grant
funding will assist the school in limiting student use of cell phones and
social media platforms.

���� b.� A public school shall not
be required to implement any of the best practices or programs recommended by
the department pursuant to subsection b. of section 1 of this act as a
condition of receiving grant funding.

���� c.� Grant awards shall be
allocated to public schools on a competitive basis, in a manner to be
determined by the commissioner.
Based upon the
criteria developed by the commissioner, and within the limit of available
appropriations, the commissioner shall allocate to each selected grantee a
grant in an amount determined by the commissioner.� To the extent possible, the
commissioner shall select grant recipients from the northern, central, and
southern regions of the State, and shall seek a cross section of recipients
from urban, suburban, and rural areas.

���� 4.��� a.�
A public school that receives a grant under the
Distraction Free Schools
Grant Program shall annually submit a report to the Commissioner of Education.
The report shall include, but not be limited to:

���� (1) information on the
school�s use of grant funding to limit student use of cell phones and social
media;

���� (2) the impact of the policies
implemented by the school on academic achievement, student behavior and
disciplinary infractions, absenteeism, and harassment, intimidation, and
bullying; and

���� (3) an evaluation of the
impact of the policies implemented by the school on student emotional
well-being.

���� b.� The Commissioner of
Education shall, after compiling the information submitted by the schools
participating in the grant program, submit a report evaluating the
effectiveness of the grant program to the Governor, and to the Legislature
pursuant to section 2 of P.L.1991, c.164 (C.52:14-19.1). The report shall
include an analysis of the impact of the grant program on academic achievement,
student behavior and disciplinary infractions, absenteeism, and harassment,
intimidation, and bullying in comparison to metrics of public schools not
receiving a grant under the program.

���� 5.��� There is appropriated
from the General Fund to the Department of Education the sum of $2,000,000 to
fund the Distraction Free Schools Grant Program established pursuant to section
1 of this act.

���� 6.��� This act shall take
effect immediately and shall first apply to the first full school year next
following the date of enactment.

STATEMENT

���� This bill establishes the
Distraction Free Schools Grant Program. The program is to provide grants to
public schools to promote the limited use of cell phones and social media
platforms during regular school hours and during school-sanctioned events where
the student is under the direct supervision of a teaching staff member or
employee of the public school.

���� The bill requires the
Department of Education to develop and recommend best practices and programs
concerning student use of cell phones and social media platforms for public
schools receiving a grant under the program. The recommendations are to, at a minimum,
(1) provide age appropriate and grade-level differentiated policies concerning
limiting student use of cell phones and social media platforms; (2) be
consistent with State and federal law including accommodations provided in a
student�s Individualized Education Program or educational plan; (3) permit
student use of cell phones in the case of an emergency or in response to a
perceived threat of danger; (4) permit student use of cell phones upon
submission by a parent or guardian of documentation from a health care
professional indicating that the use of a cell phone is necessary for the
health or well-being of the student; (5) address smartphones, cell phones with
only text or voice, and other relevant devices, including smart watches; (6)
list options that may be utilized by a public school for cell phone storage,
including pouches and cell phone lockers; (7) provide recommendations for a
public school to establish network-based restrictions to prevent the use of, or
access to, social media platforms; and (8) detail protocols for communicating
the school�s policy concerning student use of cell phones and social media
platforms to students, their families, and teaching staff members.
Additionally, the bill requires the department to provide technical assistance
and training to public schools that receive a grant under the program.

���� Under the bill, a public
school wishing to participate in the program would submit an application to the
Commissioner of Education in a form and manner prescribed by the commissioner.
As part of the application, the public school is required to demonstrate how
the grant funding will assist the school in limiting student use of cell phones
and social media platforms. The bill stipulates that a public school is not
required to implement the recommendations on best practices and programs
developed by the commissioner as a condition of receiving grant funding. The
bill also stipulates that grant awards are to be allocated to public schools on
a competitive basis, in a manner determined by the commissioner.

���� The bill requires a public
school receiving a grant under the program to submit an annual report to the
commissioner which includes information on the school�s use of grant funding to
limit student use of cell phones and social media and the impact of the
policies implemented by the school on academic achievement, student behavior
and disciplinary infractions, absenteeism, and harassment, intimidation, and
bullying. After compiling the information submitted by the schools
participating in the grant program, the commissioner is required to submit a
report evaluating the effectiveness of the grant program to the Governor and
the Legislature. The report is to include an analysis of the impact of the
grant program on academic achievement, student behavior and disciplinary
infractions, absenteeism, and harassment, intimidation, and bullying in
comparison to metrics of public schools not receiving a grant under the
program.