As Introduced

136th General Assembly

Regular Session S. B. No. 158

2025-2026

Senator Timken

To amend section 3313.753 of the Revised Code to generally prohibit student cellular telephone use in public schools.

BE IT ENACTED BY THE GENERAL ASSEMBLY OF THE STATE OF OHIO:

Section 1. That section 3313.753 of the Revised Code be amended to read as follows:

Sec. 3313.753. (A) As used in this section:

(1) "Electronic communications device" means any device that is powered by batteries or electricity and that is capable of receiving, transmitting, or receiving and transmitting communications between two or more persons or a communication from or to a person.

(2) "School" means any school that is operated by a board of education of a city, local, exempted village, or joint vocational school district.

(3) "School building" means any building in which any of the instruction, extracurricular activities, or training provided by a school is conducted.

(4) "School grounds or premises" means either of the following:

(a) The parcel of real property on which any school building is situated;

(b) Any other parcel of real property that is owned or leased by a board of education and on which some of the instruction, extracurricular activities, or training of the school is conducted.

(B) The board of education of any city, exempted village, local, joint vocational, or cooperative education school district may adopt a policy prohibiting students from carrying an electronic communications device in any school building or on any school grounds or premises of the district. The policy may provide for exceptions to this prohibition as specified in the policy. The policy shall specify any disciplinary measures that will be taken for violation of this prohibition.

If a board of education adopts a policy under this division, the board shall post the policy in a central location in each school building and make it available to students and parents upon request.

(C)(C)(1) Not later than the first day of July that immediately follows the effective date of this amendmentSeptember 1, 2025, each school district board of education shall adopt a policy governing the use of cellular telephones by students during school hours. The policy shall do all of the following:

(1) Emphasize that student cellular telephone use be as limited as possible during school hours;

(2) Reduce cellular telephone-related distractions in classroom settings;

(3)prohibit all cellular telephone use by students during the instructional day, except as described in division (C)(2) of this section.

(2) If determined appropriate by the district board, or if included in a student's individualized education program developed under Chapter 3323. of the Revised Code or plan developed under section 504 of the "Rehabilitation Act of 1973," 29 U.S.C. 794, permit students to may use cellular telephones or other electronic communications devices for student learning or to monitor or address a health concern.

(D) Division (C) of this section shall not be construed to require a district board to adopt a policy that prohibits all cellular telephone use by students. Nonetheless, any Any district board that adopts a policy that prohibits all cellular telephone use by students shall be considered to have met the requirements in division (C) of this section.

(E) Any district board that adopts a policy that meets the requirements prescribed in division (C) of this section prior to the effective date of this amendmentthe effective date of this amendment, shall be considered to have met the requirement to adopt a policy under this section.

(F) Each district board that adopts a policy under this section after the effective date of this amendmentthe effective date of this amendment, shall do so at a public meeting of the board.

(G) Each district board shall make any policy it adopts under this section publicly available and post it prominently on its publicly accessible web site, if it has one.

(H) Not later than sixty days after the effective date of this amendment, the department of education and workforce shall develop a model policy that meets the requirements prescribed in division (C) of this section. To the extent possible, the model policy shall take into account available research concerning the effect of the use of cellular telephones by students in school settings. The model policy may be utilized by districts and schools.

Section 2. That existing section 3313.753 of the Revised Code is hereby repealed.