The civic record
Read. Follow. Verify.Missouri Senate Bill 1703 requires elementary schools to adopt student screen-time limits and creates the FOCUS Council
Last action · May 7, 2026: Second Read and Referred S Education CommitteeSponsor: Jill Carter
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What This Bill Would Do
This act establishes the Student Screen-Time Standards Act, requiring school districts and charter schools to adopt written policies limiting screen time and use for kindergarten through fifth-grade students by the 2027-28 school year. It also creates the Framework on Classroom Use of Screens (FOCUS) Council to study technology use, recommend best practices, and report findings to state leaders by July 1, 2027.
Elementary school districts must establish new local rules restricting student device usage, and parents gain the right to inspect and limit their child's digital platform login times at no cost.
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.
elementary school students
Their access to instructional technology, internet-connected devices, and screen time during the school day will be limited by newly adopted school policies.
school districts and charter schools
They must adopt and publish a written screen time and instructional technology policy before the end of the 2027-28 school year.
parents and guardians
They receive annual notices of the school's screen time policy, can request login records at no cost, and have a process to limit or eliminate their child's screen time.
Key Facts
You don't have to trust us. Each fact below is taken straight from the official document - click any one to see the exact passage, highlighted in the original.
Frequently Asked Questions
Which students are affected by the screen-time policy?
What is the FOCUS Council?
Can parents view their child's login time on digital platforms?
What else do you want to know?
News Coverage
Check Your Understanding
1.According to the introduced version of the bill, what requirement does the legislation place on school districts and charter schools regarding elementary school students in kindergarten through grade five?
2.According to the introduced version of the bill, what action is the commissioner of education required to take regarding the FOCUS Council?
Follow the record
Votes, people, money & the original sourceWhere This Stands
Currently in committee. The next step in the legislative lifecycle is Floor Vote.
Procedural history
2 actions- May 7, 2026SenateFloorSecond Read and Referred S Education Committee
- Feb 23, 2026SenateIntroducedS First Read
Version history
Only one version on file - nothing to compare yet. The text on record is the 7305S.01I - Introduced version. 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
Discoveries
Patterns POLISCOPE noticed across the record. These are observations to investigate, not conclusions.
Mandatory Local Screen-Time Governance
The legislation moves screen-time regulation from informal classroom choice to a formal, mandatory local school district policy requirement for elementary grades.
Connected Entities
Sources
www.senate.mo.gov
Analysis Score
0–100- Significance75How much this matters to a regular citizen
- Controversy40Intensity of disagreement among stakeholders
- Entertainment10Compellingness for a non-policy-wonk reader
- Buzz45Current news / social attention level
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