Strike everything after the enacting clause and insert the following:

"NEW SECTION.  Sec. 1. (1) The legislature finds that student use of mobile devices in schools has had a multitude of negative effects on student outcomes. Mobile devices can be a constant distraction that disrupts the learning environment for all students. According to a study from the London School of Economics and Political Science, and as replicated by other researchers, the mere presence of a smartphone by a neighboring student lowers a nonphone student's test performance by about six percent. A study from the University of California, Irvine showed that it can take 20 minutes for students to refocus after each phone distraction and a separate study by the pew research center found that 72 percent of high school teachers in the United States say that cell phone distraction is a major problem in their classroom.

(2) The legislature further finds that mobile devices can increase harm to students' mental health either by recording students without consent or through increased cyberbullying. Washington students are still recovering from the massive effects of school closures during the COVID-19 pandemic, including severe learning loss and troubling trends in student mental health.

(3) The legislature recognizes the need for students to learn how to safely, ethically, responsibly, and effectively use technology through digital citizenship and media literacy in schools and for school policies to support best practices when it comes to the use of technology.

(4) The legislature intends to build on this learning and help public schools implement best practices by providing research on student use of mobile devices and recommended best practice strategies for teaching students how to use their mobile devices responsibly. The legislature further intends to review information on the policies and procedures that public schools are adopting regarding student use of mobile devices and understand the barriers that public schools experience implementing these policies and procedures. The legislature will then consider the office of the superintendent of public instruction's evidence-based recommendations related to student mobile device use with a goal of enabling every school district in Washington to implement a bell-to-bell cell phone policy that is tailored to the needs of their community by 2030.

Sec. 2. RCW 28A.650.010 and 2021 c 301 s 2 are each amended to read as follows:

Unless the context clearly requires otherwise, the definitions in this section apply throughout this chapter.

(1) "Digital citizenship" includes the norms of appropriate, responsible, and healthy behavior related to current technology use and use of mobile devices, including digital and media literacy, ethics, etiquette, and security. The term also includes the ability to access, analyze, evaluate, develop, produce, and interpret media, as well as internet safety and cyberbullying prevention and response.

(2) "Instructional hours" has the same meaning as defined in RCW 28A.150.205.

(3) "Learning device" means an internet-accessible computer, tablet, or other device, with an appropriate operating system, software applications, and data security, that can be used to access curricula, educational web applications and websites, and learning management systems, and with telecommunications capabilities sufficient for videoconferencing.

Sec. 3. RCW 28A.650.050 and 2017 c 90 s 4 are each amended to read as follows:

(1) The office of the superintendent of public instruction shall create a web-based location with links to recommended successful practices and resources to support digital citizenship, media literacy, and internet safety ((for use in the 2017-18 school year. The web-based location must incorporate the information gathered by the survey in section 3, chapter 90, Laws of 2017)). The web-based location must also include research on student use of mobile devices and recommended best practice strategies for teaching students how to use their mobile devices responsibly, such as research commissioned by the Washington association of school administrators, school information research services.

(2) Thereafter, the office of the superintendent of public instruction shall continue to identify and develop additional open educational resources to support digital citizenship, media literacy, and internet safety in schools for the web-based location.

(3) Media literacy resources must consist of a balance of sources and perspectives.

(a) A summary of the policies and procedures that have been adopted by public schools in Washington and in other states limiting student use of mobile devices during instructional hours;

(b) A summary of the barriers that public schools have experienced when implementing these policies and procedures; and

(c) Evidence-based recommendations related to student mobile device use during instructional hours that support academic learning, healthy social relationships and emotional well-being, and recommendations for incorporating student mobile device use within digital citizenship as defined in RCW 28A.650.010.

(2) This section expires June 30, 2028.

Sec. 5. RCW 28A.320.135 and 1997 c 266 s 10 are each amended to read as follows:

(1) School district boards of directors may adopt policies and procedures that limit the possession and use of (((1)))(a) paging telecommunication devices by students that emit audible signals, vibrate, display a message, or otherwise summons or delivers a communication to the possessor, and (((2) portable or cellular telephones))(b) mobile devices by students. When considering the adoption of policies and procedures that limit student possession or use of mobile devices during instructional hours, school district boards of directors are encouraged to review recommendations provided by the office of the superintendent of public instruction to the legislature in accordance with section 4 of this act.

(2) For purposes of this section, "instructional hours" has the same meaning as in RCW 28A.150.205, and "mobile device" has the same meaning as in RCW 28A.650.010."

Correct the title.