KLS Keeping Law Simple Legislation in plain English

Straight-ahead summaries built from the official bill text. We keep the source links front and center and leave the decision up to you.

Back to Wyoming

SF0021 • 2025

Ban on cell phone use in schools.

AN ACT relating to education; requiring school districts to adopt policies prohibiting students from using cell phones and smart watches in schools as specified; providing exceptions; providing a definition; specifying applicability; and providing for effective dates.

Education
Did Not Pass

The latest official action shows that this bill did not move forward in that session.

Sponsor
Senator Schuler
Last action
2025-01-21
Official status
inactive
Effective date
3/1/2025

Plain English Breakdown

The bill's failure means that no new policies will be implemented based on this act.

Ban on Cell Phone Use in Schools

This act requires school districts to create policies prohibiting students from using cell phones and smart watches during instructional time, with exceptions for emergencies, staff authorization, individualized education plans, and health care needs.

What This Bill Does

  • Requires school boards to make rules against students using cell phones and smart watches during instructional time.
  • Defines a 'smart watch' as a wearable device that closely resembles a wristwatch or other timekeeping device with the capacity to act in place of or as an extension of a person's cellular telephone, but does not include devices that can only tell time, monitor health information, or track location.
  • Lists four situations where students can still use their devices: emergencies, staff authorization, individualized education plans, and health care needs.
  • Sets deadlines for schools to make these rules.

Who It Names or Affects

  • School districts and their boards of trustees
  • Students who attend public schools

Terms To Know

Smart watch
A wearable computing device that closely resembles a wristwatch or other timekeeping device with the capacity to act in place of or as an extension of a person's cellular telephone.

Limits and Unknowns

  • The bill did not pass and was rejected on January 21, 2025.
  • It is unclear how many schools were planning to follow these rules before the rejection.

Amendments

These notes stay tied to the official amendment files and metadata from the legislature.

SF0021SS001

Standing Committee • Senate Education Committee

Adopted

Plain English: The amendment changes the bill to restrict instead of prohibit cell phone use in schools and delays the effective date from July 1, 2025, to September 1, 2025.

  • Replaces 'prohibit' with 'restrict' regarding student cell phone usage in schools.
  • Changes the bill's effective date from July 1, 2025, to September 1, 2025.

Bill History

  1. 2025-01-21 Senate

    S COW:Failed 7-21-3-0-0

  2. 2025-01-20 Senate

    S Placed on General File

  3. 2025-01-20 Senate

    S04 - Education:Recommend Amend and Do Pass 4-1-0-0-0

  4. 2025-01-16 Senate

    S Introduced and Referred to S04 - Education

  5. 2024-12-19 Senate

    S Received for Introduction

  6. 2024-12-05 LSO

    Bill Number Assigned

Current Bill Text

Read the full stored bill text 
25LSO-0273
2025
STATE OF WYOMING
25LSO-0273
Numbered
2.0

SENATE FILE NO. SF0021

Ban on cell phone use in schools.

Sponsored by: Senator(s) Schuler and Representative(s) Brown, L, Clouston and Larson, JT

A BILL

for

AN ACT relating to education; requiring school districts to adopt policies prohibiting students from using cell phones and smart watches in schools as specified; providing exceptions; providing a definition; specifying applicability; and providing for effective dates.

Be It Enacted by the Legislature of the State of Wyoming:

Section 1
.

W.S. 21
‑
3
‑
110(a) by creating a new paragraph (xliv) is amended to read:

21
‑
3
‑
110.

Duties of boards of trustees.

(a)

The board of trustees in each school district shall:

(xliv)

Adopt policies to prohibit students from using cellular telephones and smart watches during instructional time. For purposes of this paragraph, "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 a person's cellular telephone. "Smart watch" does not include a wearable device that can only tell time, monitor a person's health information or track a person's location. Policies adopted under this paragraph shall not prohibit students from using cellular telephones and smart watches under any of the following circumstances:

(A)

In the case of an emergency or in response to a perceived threat of danger;

(B)

When an employee of the school district authorizes a student to use a cellular telephone or a smart watch;

(C)

When using a cellular telephone or a smart watch is included in a student's individualized education plan or plan developed under section 504 of the Federal Rehabilitation Act of 1973, as amended;

(D)

When a health care provider determines that the use of a cellular telephone or a smart watch is necessary to manage a student's health care.

Section 2.

Not later than July 1, 2025, each school district board of trustees shall establish policies in accordance with this act.

Section 3.

(a)

Except as provided in subsection (b) of this section, this act is effective July 1, 2025.

(b)

Sections 2 and 3 of this act are effective immediately upon completion of all acts necessary for a bill to become law as provided by Article 4, Section 8 of the Wyoming Constitution.

(END)

1
SF0021