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5/13/2025
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Senate OKs bill to prohibit electronic devices during school day
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 STATE HOUSE – The Senate today approved legislation sponsored by Senate Health and Human Services Committee Chairwoman Melissa Murray to require every school in Rhode Island to have a policy on the use of personal electronics that prohibits students from having access to them during the school day. The bill now heads to the House.
“While cell phones and other personal electronics have become a part of everyday life for most of us, they are also an immense distraction at school. Fortunately, there is growing recognition that kids are better able to focus and succeed academically, socially and emotionally when schools are device-free. All students and schools in Rhode Island will benefit when kids can engage in real life with their teachers and peers,” said Senator Murray (D-Dist. 24, Woonsocket, North Smithfield).
The legislation (2025-S 0771A) would require each public school to have a policy regarding the use of personal electronic devices on school grounds and during school-sponsored activities, including a prohibition on physical access during the school day, with exceptions allowed for assistive technology and other special needs specified in a students individual education plan (IEP) or 504 plan, for medical needs such as glucose monitoring or for emergent multilingual learners for language access programs. Exceptions shall also be made in the event of an emergency.
To address privacy concerns in situations when a school might confiscate a device held by a student in violation of the policy, the bill was amended to add a provision that prohibits schools from searching the contents of any student’s personal electronic device.
The legislation requires each school district and charter school to file its policy with the Department of Education. The bill takes effect Aug. 1, 2026, in time for the following school year.
Studies consistently show that personal electronic devices take a serious toll on students’ ability to focus in the classroom and their overall mental health. Phones also contribute to classroom disruption. Educators report they are forced to compete for attention, students have trouble concentrating, and behavioral issues escalate more quickly.
In 2022, several organizations of pediatricians and psychiatrists declared a state of emergency in child and adolescent mental health in Rhode Island. Removing or restricting cell phones in public schools is a step toward supporting students academically, socially and emotionally – helping them learn and thrive.
Currently, 15 states have passed laws or enacted policies that ban or restrict cell phone use in the classroom and some of the largest school districts in the country have implemented similar policies. Here in Rhode Island, several districts and schools have already developed strong policies in collaboration with parents, social workers, educators and administrators. The results are positive: students in these communities are more attentive, engagement has improved, and behavioral problems have drastically declined. Beyond the classroom, there is eye contact in the hallways, loud chatter has returned to the lunchroom, and social connections are thriving again.
The legislation now goes to the House of Representatives, where Rep. Julie A. Casimiro (D-Dist. 31, North Kingstown, Exeter) is sponsoring its companion (2025-H 5598).
For more information, contact:
Meredyth R. Whitty, Publicist
State House Room 20
Providence, RI 02903
(401) 222-1923
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