II 

118TH CONGRESS 

2D SESSION S. 4783 

To establish a program to recognize elementary schools and secondary schools 

that have implemented a policy to prohibit smartphone use by students 

during instructional hours and a program to recognize local educational 

agencies and State educational agencies that serve such schools. 

IN THE SENATE OF THE UNITED STATES 

JULY 25, 2024 

Mr. ROMNEY (for himself and Mr. MURPHY) introduced the following bill; 

which was read twice and referred to the Committee on Health, Education, Labor, and Pensions 

A BILL 

To establish a program to recognize elementary schools and 

secondary schools that have implemented a policy to prohibit smartphone use by students during instructional 

hours and a program to recognize local educational agencies and State educational agencies that serve such 

schools. 

1 Be it enacted by the Senate and House of Representa2 tives of the United States of America in Congress assembled, 

3 SECTION 1. SHORT TITLE. 

4 This Act may be cited as the ‘‘Smart Kids not 

5 Smartphones Act of 2024’’. 


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1 SEC. 2. DEFINITIONS. 

2 In this Act: 

3 (1) ESEA TERMS.—The terms ‘‘elementary 

4 school’’, ‘‘local educational agency’’, ‘‘secondary 

5 school’’, ‘‘Secretary’’, and ‘‘State educational agen6 cy’’ have the meanings given the terms in section 

7 8101 of the Elementary and Secondary Education 

8 Act of 1965 (20 U.S.C. 7801). 

9 (2) SMARTPHONE.— 

10 (A) IN GENERAL.—The term 

11 ‘‘smartphone’’ means a hand-held mobile device 

12 that is— 

13 (i) designed to enable the user to en14 gage in voice and data communications 

15 using wireless communications; 

16 (ii) capable of connecting to the inter17 net; and 

18 (iii) capable of accessing digital appli19 cations, including social media, internet 

20 browsing, text messaging, and streaming 

21 services. 

22 (B) EXCLUSIONS.—The term 

23 ‘‘smartphone’’ does not include a phone that of24 fers only a limited capability or set of capabili25 ties (such as placing voice calls and sending 

26 text messages), a laptop computer, a tablet deVerDate Sep 11 2014 03:35 Aug 22, 2024 Jkt 049200 PO 00000 Frm 00002 Fmt 6652 Sfmt 6201 E:\BILLS\S4783.IS S4783

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1 vice, or a device that has only electronic reading 

2 capability. 

3 (3) SMARTPHONE USE POLICY.—The term 

4 ‘‘smartphone use policy’’ means a policy that, at a 

5 minimum, prohibits smartphone use by students in 

6 classrooms during instructional hours, except— 

7 (A) for use in emergencies; 

8 (B) for use in educational instruction or 

9 educational enrichment activities; 

10 (C) for use by students with exceptional 

11 needs or children with disabilities; or 

12 (D) for use in other circumstances as de13 termined by the Secretary. 

14 SEC. 3. RECOGNITION AWARD PROGRAM FOR SCHOOLS 

15 THAT IMPLEMENT SMARTPHONE USE POLI16 CIES TO PROHIBIT SMARTPHONE USE BY 

17 STUDENTS DURING INSTRUCTIONAL HOURS. 

18 (a) AUTHORIZATION OF SCHOOL RECOGNITION

19 AWARD PROGRAM.— 

20 (1) ESTABLISHMENT OF AWARD PROGRAM.— 

21 Not later than 1 year after the date of enactment 

22 of this Act, the Secretary shall establish a non-mon23 etary, non-competitive award program to annually 

24 recognize elementary schools and secondary schools 


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1 that have implemented and enforce a smartphone 

2 use policy. 

3 (2) PUBLIC LIST.—In carrying out the award 

4 program established under paragraph (1), the Sec5 retary— 

6 (A) shall maintain on the Department’s 

7 website a publicly available list of all schools 

8 that received an award under paragraph (1) in 

9 the preceding year, including each school’s 

10 smartphone use policy; and 

11 (B) may determine additional methods of 

12 recognizing schools that receive an award under 

13 paragraph (1). 

14 (b) APPLICATION.—An elementary school or sec15 ondary school that seeks to receive an award under this 

16 section shall submit an application to the Secretary at 

17 such time, in such manner, and accompanied by such in18 formation as the Secretary may require, including— 

19 (1) a description of the applicant’s smartphone 

20 use policy and related enforcement mechanisms for 

21 such policy; and 

22 (2) a description of the applicant’s student, pa23 rental, and family engagement efforts to receive 

24 input in developing and enforcing such policy, in25 cluding families of children with disabilities. 


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1 (c) ELIGIBILITY.—The Secretary shall make an 

2 award to each elementary school and secondary school 

3 that— 

4 (1) submits an application under subsection (b); 

5 and 

6 (2) implements and enforces a smartphone use 

7 policy. 

8 (d) GUIDANCE.—The Secretary— 

9 (1) shall publish on the website of the Depart10 ment of Education guidance for elementary schools 

11 and secondary schools related to smartphone use 

12 policies; and 

13 (2) in consultation with the Director of the Na14 tional Institute of Standards and Technology and 

15 the Director of the National Science Foundation, 

16 shall publish on the website of the Department of 

17 Education smartphone use policy enforcement mech18 anisms. 

19 SEC. 4. RECOGNITION AWARD PROGRAM FOR LOCAL EDU20 CATIONAL AGENCIES AND STATE EDU21 CATIONAL SCHOOLS. 

22 (a) AUTHORIZATION OF LOCAL EDUCATIONAL AGEN23 CY AWARD PROGRAM.— 

24 (1) ESTABLISHMENT OF LOCAL EDUCATIONAL

25 AGENCY AWARD PROGRAM.—The Secretary shall esVerDate Sep 11 2014 03:35 Aug 22, 2024 Jkt 049200 PO 00000 Frm 00005 Fmt 6652 Sfmt 6201 E:\BILLS\S4783.IS S4783

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1 tablish a non-monetary, non-competitive award pro2 gram to annually recognize local educational agen3 cies for which 100 percent of the elementary schools 

4 and secondary schools served by such agencies— 

5 (A) have received an award under section 

6 3; or 

7 (B) meet eligibility requirements described 

8 in section 3(c)(2) by implementing and enforc9 ing a smartphone use policy. 

10 (2) PUBLIC LIST.—In carrying out the award 

11 program established under paragraph (1), the Sec12 retary— 

13 (A) shall maintain on the Department’s 

14 website a publicly available list of all local edu15 cational agencies that received an award under 

16 paragraph (1) in the preceding year; and 

17 (B) may determine additional methods of 

18 recognizing local educational agencies that re19 ceive an award under paragraph (1). 

20 (b) AUTHORIZATION OF STATE EDUCATIONAL AGEN21 CY AWARD PROGRAM.— 

22 (1) ESTABLISHMENT OF STATE EDUCATIONAL

23 AGENCY AWARD PROGRAM.—The Secretary shall es24 tablish a non-monetary, non-competitive award pro25 gram to annually recognize State educational agenVerDate Sep 11 2014 03:35 Aug 22, 2024 Jkt 049200 PO 00000 Frm 00006 Fmt 6652 Sfmt 6201 E:\BILLS\S4783.IS S4783

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1 cies for which 100 percent of the local educational 

2 agencies served by such State educational agencies— 

3 (A) have received an award under sub4 section (a); or 

5 (B) meet eligibility requirements described 

6 in subsection (a)(1). 

7 (2) PUBLIC LIST.—In carrying out the award 

8 program established under paragraph (1), the Sec9 retary— 

10 (A) shall maintain on the Department’s 

11 website a publicly available list of all State edu12 cational agencies that received an award under 

13 paragraph (1) in the preceding year; and 

14 (B) may determine additional methods of 

15 recognizing State educational agencies that re16 ceive an award under paragraph (1). 

17 SEC. 5. SUNSET. 

18 The programs authorized under this Act shall cease 

19 to exist effective on the date that is 10 years after the 

20 date of enactment of this Act. 

Æ 


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