HB1481

HB1481 requires school districts and open-enrollment charter schools to adopt, implement and comply with a written policy prohibiting student use of personal communication devices on school property during the school day, subject to required exceptions. It is broader than a classroom-only or instructional-time rule. Schools must establish disciplinary measures and may confiscate devices. Final law

Covered devices include smartphones, flip phones, tablets, smartwatches, radios, pagers and other electronic devices capable of telecommunication or digital communication. Devices provided to students by the district or charter school are excluded from this definition. The section does not apply to adult-education programs operated under the specified charter authority.

Schools can prohibit students from bringing covered devices onto school property or designate a storage method during the school day. The act does not require a particular brand of locking pouch, nor does it itself make every instance of possession a statewide violation. Local policy determines how permitted possession and storage work.

Policies must allow use:

• Necessary to implement an individualized education program, a Section 504 plan or a similar program or plan.
• For a student’s documented need based on a qualified physician’s directive.
• Necessary to comply with a legal health/safety requirement or the school’s safety protocols.

These are required exceptions, not optional favors. The act does not create an unrestricted parent-request or classroom-instruction exception for every personally owned phone or laptop.

A policy may allow disposal of a confiscated device only after giving the student’s parent 90 days’ prior written notice. HB1481 removes the section’s prior express authority to charge an administrative retrieval fee of up to $15. It does not establish a new statewide confiscation fee or specify a uniform suspension schedule.

The law took effect June 20, 2025, on signature, because it received the required votes for immediate effect. Schools had to adopt policies as soon as practicable and no later than September 18, 2025. TEA was required to publish model language and issued implementation guidance. TEA’s July 31, 2025 implementation notice

TEA’s model document offers choices for school-day/property definitions, storage, discipline and communication with families. Those sample choices are not all mandatory statutory rules. Its discussion of personally owned instructional laptops/tablets calls for careful technology and legal review, not an automatic bring-your-own-device exemption. Parents should check their school’s adopted policy for practical procedures. TEA guidance and model language