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Read. Follow. Verify.Vermont bill bans student cell phones and school social media use
Last action · January 22, 2025: Read first time and referred to the Committee on EducationSponsors: Angela Arsenault and 48 others
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What This Bill Would Do
Vermont schools must prohibit student use of cell phones and personal electronic devices from arrival to dismissal starting December 1, 2025, and are banned from communicating with students via social media.
Changes daily communication rules for all Vermont public and private school students and staff, introducing mandatory device storage methods and medical or educational exceptions.
- The General Assembly is the state legislature of Vermont, responsible for passing laws governing public education and state administration. context
Who It Would Affect
Groups the bill's text would affect if enacted, as described in the record. Being affected is not a position for or against it.
students
Students are prohibited from using cell phones and personal electronic devices during the school day and cannot use social media for school activities.
schools and school boards
School boards must develop, adopt, and implement policies restricting devices and blocking student access to social media on school-issued equipment.
Key Facts
- Each school board or governing body of an independent school or prequalified private prekindergarten provider must develop and implement a policy prohibiting student use of cell phones and personal electronic devices from arrival to dismissal.
- Policies may ban devices from school entirely, require them to be placed in designated areas, or require secure storage such as device lockers or lockable pouches.
- Schools, school districts, and supervisory unions are prohibited from communicating directly with students via social media.
- Schools are barred from requiring or permitting student use of social media for school activities, homework, sports, or extracurricular clubs.
Show all 8 facts
- Schools must maintain measures to prevent students from accessing social media on school-issued devices while under school supervision.
- The policy must include exceptions for students who require a device for health reasons as determined by a licensed physician or advanced practice registered nurse.
- The policy must include exceptions for students whose device use is required by an individualized education program or 504 plan.
- Sec. 2 of the act takes effect on December 1, 2025, while findings and administrative sections take effect on July 1, 2025.
Frequently Asked Questions
When does the cell phone ban take effect in Vermont schools?
Are there any medical or educational exceptions to the device ban?
What else do you want to know?
News Coverage
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Votes, people, money & the original sourceWhere This Stands
Currently in committee. The next step in the legislative lifecycle is Floor Vote.
Procedural history
1 action- Jan 22, 2025HouseIntroducedRead first time and referred to the Committee on Education
Version history
Only one version on file - nothing to compare yet. As later stages (committee substitute, engrossed, enrolled) are captured, the redline appears here.
View official text →Lobbying Activity
No state lobbying filings in our records match this bill. Federal lobbying reports (LDA) cover Congress, so they are not listed on state bills.
Full breakdown
Who this bill affects and the strongest case for and against it, written only from the bill’s own text.
Sponsors
Show 44 more sponsors
Discoveries
Patterns POLISCOPE noticed across the record. These are observations to investigate, not conclusions.
Statewide Shift Toward Digital Restrictions in Schools
The bill reflects a legislative movement to eliminate personal electronic device usage during school hours and restrict institutional reliance on social media platforms.
Connected Entities
Sources
legislature.vermont.gov
Analysis Score
0–100- Significance85How much this matters to a regular citizen
- Controversy50Intensity of disagreement among stakeholders
- Entertainment5Compellingness for a non-policy-wonk reader
- Buzz60Current news / social attention level
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