Kansas enacts statewide cell phone policy

Kansas’ student cell phone legislation has become law, ultimately moving forward through a different vehicle. 

After additional negotiations, the Senate’s policy approach in SB 302 was incorporated into Senate Substitute for Substitute for House Bill 2299, which is now law. 

The final bill passed the Senate on March 5, 2026, with emergency final action, 32-4, and the House concurred in Senate amendments on March 10, 2026, by a vote of 84-39. The Governor signed the bill into law on March 19, 2026. 

What HB 2299 became

In its final form, House Bill 2299 includes three major components: a statewide student cell phone policy, employee-student communication safeguards, and accreditation-related provisions affecting nonpublic schools.

First, the bill establishes a statewide framework requiring both public school districts and accredited nonpublic elementary and secondary schools to adopt policies governing student personal electronic communication devices during the school day.

Those policies must:

1. Prohibit student use or access during the school day
2. Require devices to be powered off and stored in an inaccessible location
3. Include enforcement and disciplinary procedures
4. Allow limited exceptions for students with an IEP, 504 plan, or physician-documented medical necessity when no reasonable alternative exists
5. Ensure students can contact a parent through a school-designated communication device.

Schools may also choose to extend device restrictions to school-sponsored activities outside the school day. The law does not apply to virtual schools and excludes time associated with travel to off-site learning experiences. It also shields schools from liability for damage to or storage of devices brought to school.

Second, the bill also includes employee-student communication guardrails that schools will now be required to adopt and implement. The law:

1. Requires school districts and accredited nonpublic schools to adopt policies restricting school employees from privately or directly communicating with students through social media platforms.
2. Prohibits schools from requiring students to use social media for assignments or extracurricular activities.
3. Allows schools to approve certain monitored platforms for official school purposes.
4. Distinguishes between public, one-way school communications and private or two-way interactions.
5. Requires schools to certify to the State Board of Education by September 1, 2026 that the required policies have been adopted.

Together, these provisions are intended to create clearer boundaries for employee-student communication while giving schools a defined framework for compliance.

In addition to the cell phone and communication provisions, the final bill includes broader accreditation language clarifying that, in Chapter 72, references to accredited nonpublic schools generally mean schools accredited by the State Board of Education, while also providing that nonpublic schools accredited by a recognized regional or national accrediting agency are entitled to the same rights as state-board-accredited nonpublic schools. 

The law also requires the Kansas State High School Activities Association to recognize and accept accreditation of a nonpublic school by a regional or national agency. 

Aligned's Take: We are very thankful to the legislators who came together to craft and advance this bill. Its passage marks meaningful progress for Kansas students and schools, and we are encouraged to see a clear, statewide policy now in place to support more focused and productive learning environments.