SB0069 • 2026

School Device Revisions

Education

Enacted

This bill passed the Legislature and reached final enactment based on the latest official action.

Sponsor: Sen. Fillmore, Lincoln
Last action: 2026-03-18
Official status: Governor Signed
Effective date: Not listed

Plain English Breakdown

Using official source text because the generated explanation was unavailable or could not be confirmed against the official bill text.

School Device Revisions

This bill establishes the default standard device use from prohibited during instructional time to prohibited during the school day.

What This Bill Does

This bill establishes the default standard device use from prohibited during instructional time to prohibited during the school day.

Limits and Unknowns

This entry is temporarily using official source text because the generated explanation could not be confirmed against the official bill text during the last sync.

Bill History

2026-03-18 Lieutenant Governor's office for filing
Governor Signed
2026-03-11 Senate Secretary
Senate/ received enrolled bill from Printing
2026-03-11 Executive Branch - Governor
Senate/ to Governor
2026-03-03 Senate Secretary
Enrolled Bill Returned to House or Senate
2026-03-03 Senate Secretary
Senate/ enrolled bill to Printing
2026-03-02 Legislative Research and General Counsel / Enrolling
Bill Received from Senate for Enrolling
2026-03-02 Legislative Research and General Counsel / Enrolling
Draft of Enrolled Bill Prepared
2026-02-26 House Speaker
House/ received from Senate
2026-02-26 Senate President
House/ signed by Speaker/ returned to Senate
2026-02-26 Senate President
House/ to Senate
2026-02-26 House Speaker
Senate/ concurs with House amendment
2026-02-26 Senate President
Senate/ received from House
2026-02-26 Legislative Research and General Counsel / Enrolling
Senate/ signed by President/ sent for enrolling
2026-02-26 House Speaker
Senate/ to House
2026-02-25 House 3rd Reading Calendar for Senate bills
House/ 3rd reading
2026-02-25 House 3rd Reading Calendar for Senate bills
House/ floor amendment
2026-02-25 Senate Secretary
House/ passed 3rd reading
2026-02-25 Senate Secretary
House/ to Senate
2026-02-25 Senate Concurrence Calendar
Senate/ placed on Concurrence Calendar
2026-02-25 Senate Secretary
Senate/ received from House
2026-02-19 House 3rd Reading Calendar for Senate bills
House/ 2nd reading
2026-02-19 House Education Committee
House/ committee report favorable
2026-02-19 Released
LFA/ fiscal note publicly available for SB0069S02
2026-02-19 Version Sponsor
LFA/ fiscal note sent to sponsor for SB0069S02
2026-02-18 House Education Committee
House Comm - Favorable Recommendation
2026-02-18 Legislative Fiscal Analyst
LFA/ bill assigned to staff for fiscal analysis for SB0069S02
2026-02-18 Legislative Fiscal Agency
LFA/ bill sent to agencies for fiscal input for SB0069S02
2026-02-05 House Education Committee
House/ to standing committee
2026-02-03 House Rules Committee
House/ 1st reading (Introduced)
2026-02-03 Clerk of the House
House/ received from Senate
2026-02-03 Clerk of the House
Senate/ passed 3rd reading
2026-02-03 Clerk of the House
Senate/ to House
2026-02-03 Senate 3rd Reading Calendar
Senate/ uncircled
2026-02-02 Senate 3rd Reading Calendar
Senate/ 3rd reading
2026-02-02 Senate 3rd Reading Calendar
Senate/ circled
2026-01-30 Senate 3rd Reading Calendar
Senate/ passed 2nd reading
2026-01-30 Senate 2nd Reading Calendar
Senate/ uncircled
2026-01-22 Released
LFA/ fiscal note publicly available for SB0069S01
2026-01-22 Version Sponsor
LFA/ fiscal note sent to sponsor for SB0069S01
2026-01-22 Senate 2nd Reading Calendar
Senate/ 2nd reading
2026-01-22 Senate 2nd Reading Calendar
Senate/ circled
2026-01-22 Senate Education Committee
Senate/ comm rpt/ substituted
2026-01-22 Senate 2nd Reading Calendar
Senate/ placed on 2nd Reading Calendar
2026-01-21 Legislative Fiscal Analyst
LFA/ bill assigned to staff for fiscal analysis for SB0069S01
2026-01-21 Legislative Fiscal Agency
LFA/ bill sent to agencies for fiscal input for SB0069S01
2026-01-21 Senate Education Committee
Senate Comm - Favorable Recommendation
2026-01-21 Senate Education Committee
Senate Comm - Substitute Recommendation
2026-01-20 Senate Rules Committee
Senate/ 1st reading (Introduced)
2026-01-20 Senate Education Committee
Senate/ to standing committee
2026-01-16 Released
LFA/ fiscal note publicly available for SB0069
2026-01-16 Version Sponsor
LFA/ fiscal note sent to sponsor for SB0069
2026-01-16 Waiting for Introduction in the Senate
Senate/ received fiscal note from Fiscal Analyst
2026-01-07 Waiting for Introduction in the Senate
Senate/ received bill from Legislative Research
2026-01-02 Legislative Research and General Counsel
Bill Numbered but not Distributed
2026-01-02 Legislative Fiscal Analyst
LFA/ bill assigned to staff for fiscal analysis for SB0069
2026-01-02 Legislative Fiscal Agency
LFA/ bill sent to agencies for fiscal input for SB0069
2026-01-02 Legislative Research and General Counsel
Numbered Bill Publicly Distributed

Official Summary Text

This bill establishes the default standard device use from prohibited during instructional time to prohibited during the school day.

Current Bill Text

Read the full stored bill text

7
53G-7-227
53G-7-227
0
School Device Revisions
2026 GENERAL SESSION
STATE OF UTAH
Chief Sponsor: Lincoln Fillmore
House Sponsor: Doug Welton
LONG TITLE
General Description:
This bill establishes the default standard device use from prohibited during instructional
time to prohibited during the school day.
Highlighted Provisions:
This bill:
establishes the default standard device use from prohibited during instructional time to
prohibited during the school day; and
makes technical and conforming changes.
Money Appropriated in this Bill:
None
Other Special Clauses:
This bill provides a special effective date.
Utah Code Sections Affected:
AMENDS:
53G-7-227
, as last amended by Laws of Utah 2025, First Special Session, Chapter 9
Be it enacted by the Legislature of the state of Utah:
Section 1. Section
53G-7-227
is amended to read:
53G-7-227
. Cellular device prohibition.
(1)
As used in this section:
(a)
(i)
"Cellphone" means a handheld, portable electronic device that is designed to be
operated using one or both hands and is capable of transmitting and receiving
voice, data, or text communication by means of:
(i)
(A)
a cellular network;
(ii)
(B)
a satellite network; or
(iii)
(C)
any other wireless technology.
(b)
(ii)
"Cellphone" includes:
(i)
(A)
a smartphone;
(ii)
(B)
a feature phone;
(iii)
(C)
a mobile phone;
(iv)
(D)
a satellite phone; or
(v)
(E)
a personal digital assistant that incorporates capabilities similar to a
smartphone, feature phone, mobile phone, or satellite phone.
(c)
"Classroom hours" means:
(i)
time during which a student receives scheduled, teacher-supervised instruction
that occurs:
(A)
in a physical or virtual classroom setting;
(B)
during regular school operating hours; and
(C)
as part of an approved educational curriculum.
(ii)
"Classroom hours" does not include:
(A)
lunch periods;
(B)
recess;
(C)
transit time between classes;
(D)
study halls unless directly supervised by a qualified instructor;
(E)
after-school activities unless part of an approved extended learning program;
or
(F)
independent study time occurring outside scheduled instruction.
(d)
(b)
(i)
"Emerging technology" means any other device that has or will be able to
act in place of or as an extension of an individual's cellphone.
(ii)
"Emerging technology" does not include school provided or required devices.
(c)
"School hours" means the time from the beginning of the school day, as designated
by the school's bell schedule, until the end of the school day, as designated by the
school's bell schedule, including all instructional time, lunch periods, recess, and
transition times between classes.
(e)
(d)
"Smart watch" means a wearable computing device that closely resembles a
wristwatch or other time-keeping device with the capacity to act in place of or as an
extension of an individual's cellphone.
(f)
(e)
"Smart watch" does not include a wearable device that can only:
(i)
tell time;
(ii)
monitor an individual's health informatics;
(iii)
receive and display notifications or information without the capability to
respond; or
(iv)
track the individual's physical location.
(2)
Except as provided in Subsection
(3)
, a student may not use a cellphone, smart watch, or
emerging technology at a school during school hours.
(2)
(3)
(a)
An
Notwithstanding this section, an
LEA:
(i)
shall establish a policy that allows a student to use a cellphone, smart watch, or
emerging technology:
(A)
to respond to an imminent threat to the health or safety of an individual;
(B)
to respond to a school-wide emergency;
(C)
to use the SafeUT Crisis Line described in Section
53H-4-210
;
(D)
for a student's IEP or Section 504 accommodation plan; or
(E)
to address a medical necessity; and
(ii)
in addition to the exceptions described in Subsection
(3)(a)(i)
:
(A)
may establish a policy that provides for other circumstances when a student
may use a cellphone, smart watch, or emerging technology
.
during the school
day; and
(B)
shall establish a policy that allows a parent to request an accommodation for
the parent's student to briefly use a cellphone, smart watch, or emerging
technology in a specified area the school designates during non-instructional
time.
(b)
An LEA may establish policies that:
(i)
extend restrictions on student use of cellphones, smart watches, or emerging
technologies to non-
classroom
school
hours
during the school day
, including
:
(A)
lunch periods;
(B)
transition times between classes; and
(C)
other

school-supervised activities; and
(ii)
impose additional limitations on the use of cellphones, smart watches, or
emerging technologies beyond those required by this section.
(3)
Except as provided in Subsection
(2)
, a student may not use a cellphone, smart watch,
or emerging technology at a school during classroom hours.
(4)
The state board may create one or more model policies regarding when a student may
use a student's cellphone, smart watch, or emerging technology in a school during
classroom
school
hours consistent with this section.
Section 2.
Effective Date.
This bill takes effect on
July 1, 2026
.
3-3-26 8:17 AM