AR HB1036

School districts must prohibit students from possessing or using personal electronic devices (cellular phones, paging devices, digital media players, portable game consoles, digital cameras, and digital video or audio recorders) during the school day.

School districts may permit device use only in cases of emergency or for other reasons as determined by the school district, with emergency use limited to the duration of the emergency.

Each school must establish a secure, designated area where students deposit personal electronic devices upon arrival and retrieve them at the end of the school day.

Personal electronic devices not deposited in the designated area at the beginning of the school day are subject to forfeiture.

The State Board of Education shall promulgate rules to implement this section, and Arkansas Code § 6-18-515 (which previously allowed school districts discretion to establish electronic device policies) is repealed.