II 

118TH CONGRESS 

1ST SESSION S. 3266 

To direct the Secretary of Education to conduct a study regarding the 

use of mobile devices in elementary and secondary schools, and to establish a pilot program of awarding grants to enable certain schools to 

create a school environment free of mobile devices. 

IN THE SENATE OF THE UNITED STATES 

NOVEMBER 9, 2023 

Mr. COTTON (for himself and Mr. KAINE) introduced the following bill; which 

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

Labor, and Pensions 

A BILL 

To direct the Secretary of Education to conduct a study 

regarding the use of mobile devices in elementary and 

secondary schools, and to establish a pilot program of 

awarding grants to enable certain schools to create a 

school environment free of mobile devices. 

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 ‘‘Focus on Learning 

5 Act’’. 

6 SEC. 2. DEFINITIONS. 

7 In this Act: 


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1 (1) ESEA TERMS.—The terms ‘‘child with a 

2 disability’’, ‘‘elementary school’’, ‘‘English learner’’, 

3 ‘‘local educational agency’’, and ‘‘secondary school’’ 

4 have the meaning given those terms in section 8101 

5 of the Elementary and Secondary Education Act of 

6 1965 (20 U.S.C. 7801). 

7 (2) MOBILE DEVICE.—The term ‘‘mobile de8 vice’’ means any personal mobile telephone or other 

9 portable electronic communication device with which 

10 a user engages in a call or writes or sends a message 

11 or any device in which the user plays a game or 

12 watches a video, except that such term does not in13 clude school-issued devices. 

14 (3) SCHOOL ENVIRONMENT FREE OF MOBILE

15 DEVICES.—The term ‘‘school environment free of 

16 mobile devices’’ means an elementary school or sec17 ondary school in which mobile devices of students 

18 are kept in a secure container that is controlled by 

19 a school administrator. 

20 (4) SCHOOL HOURS.—The term ‘‘school hours’’ 

21 means regular school hours for instruction, including 

22 lunch periods, free periods on school grounds, and 

23 time between classroom instruction. 


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1 SEC. 3. STUDY. 

2 (a) IN GENERAL.—Not later than 2 years after the 

3 date of enactment of this Act, the Secretary of Education, 

4 in consultation with the Secretary of Health and Human 

5 Services, shall complete a study regarding the use of mo6 bile devices in elementary schools and secondary schools 

7 nationwide, including— 

8 (1) the impact of such use on— 

9 (A) student learning and academic achieve10 ment; 

11 (B) student educational outcomes and en12 gagement; 

13 (C) student mental health; 

14 (D) classroom instruction; and 

15 (E) school climate and student behavior; 

16 and 

17 (2) an analysis of data collected from partici18 pating schools in the pilot program under section 4. 

19 (b) REPORT.—The Secretary of Education, in con20 sultation with the Secretary of Health and Human Serv21 ices, shall submit a report to Congress containing the re22 sults of the study conducted under subsection (a), and 

23 shall make such report publicly available. 

24 SEC. 4. PILOT PROGRAM. 

25 (a) PROGRAM ESTABLISHED.—The Secretary of 

26 Education shall establish a pilot program, through which 


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1 the Secretary of Education shall award grants to local 

2 educational agencies to enable participating schools served 

3 by such agencies (referred to in this section as ‘‘partici4 pating schools’’) to purchase secure containers and install 

5 lockers in order to create a school environment free of mo6 bile devices. 

7 (b) APPLICATION.—A local educational agency desir8 ing to participate in the program under this section shall 

9 submit an application to the Secretary at such time, in 

10 such manner, and containing such information as the Sec11 retary may reasonably require, including— 

12 (1) an assurance that such local educational 

13 agency will identify and select participating schools 

14 in a manner that engages the students, parents, 

15 educators, principal, school leaders, and specialized 

16 instructional support personnel, of such schools; 

17 (2) an assurance that each participating school 

18 will have a communication system (which may be 

19 mobile devices) allowing teachers, administrators, 

20 and staff to communicate with each other and with 

21 local emergency responders; 

22 (3) an assurance that each participating school 

23 will have a clear process for students to be able to 

24 contact their parents; 


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1 (4) the policy of each participating school on 

2 mobile device use during school hours as of the date 

3 of the application; and 

4 (5) a description of what each participating 

5 school’s new policy on mobile device use during 

6 school hours will be upon beginning participation in 

7 the pilot program under this section. 

8 (c) SELECTION.—The Secretary of Education shall 

9 select local educational agency applicants for participation 

10 in the pilot program based on the Secretary of Education’s 

11 determination that the applicant’s participation will likely 

12 yield helpful information relevant to testing a school envi13 ronment free of mobile devices. 

14 (d) EXEMPTIONS.—Participating schools may, while 

15 maintaining a school environment free of mobile devices, 

16 allow exemptions such that mobile devices may be used 

17 during school hours— 

18 (1) to monitor or treat health conditions; 

19 (2) by students who are children with disabil20 ities; and 

21 (3) by students who are English learners for 

22 translation purposes. 

23 (e) PARENTAL NOTIFICATION.—Each local edu24 cational agency that applies for participation in the pilot 

25 program under this section shall— 


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1 (1) notify parents of students enrolled in ele2 mentary schools and secondary schools that are 

3 served by the agency and that may become partici4 pating schools— 

5 (A) not less than 30 days before submit6 ting an application under this section; and 

7 (B) upon receipt of a grant award under 

8 this section; and 

9 (2) solicit feedback from such parents before 

10 applying for the grant about the local educational 

11 agency’s desire to implement a school environment 

12 free of mobile devices. 

13 (f) ADMINISTRATIVE EXPENSES.—The Secretary of 

14 Education may use not more than 2 percent of the 

15 amounts made available to carry out this section for ad16 ministrative expenses, data collection, and carrying out the 

17 study required under section 3. 

18 (g) AUTHORIZATION OF APPROPRIATIONS.—There 

19 are authorized to be appropriated to carry out this section, 

20 $5,000,000 for the period of fiscal years 2024 through 

21 2028. 

Æ 


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