School Cell Phone Policies (S 771A, H 5598)

As technology has evolved and advanced, so has the amount of data and information stored on a student's cell phone. With that in mind, we argued legislation should be amended that would require every public school district in Rhode Island to adopt a policy regarding the use of personal electronic devices on school grounds, including a prohibition on physical access to the device during the day. We argued that this legislation should be amended to include privacy protections prohibiting searches of those cell phones -- or any other electronic devices covered by the bill -- by school officials if the devices are kept in the school's possession during the day and not with the student in a locked pouch or kept in their locker.