Education: students; a wireless communications device policy: require the board of a school district or board of directors of a public school academy to implement, the official text

Act
No. 2

Public
Acts of 2026

Approved
by the Governor

February
10, 2026

Filed
with the Secretary of State

February
10, 2026

EFFECTIVE
DATE:  February 10, 2026

state of michigan

103rd Legislature

Regular session of 2026

Introduced by Reps. Tisdel, DeBoer and Schmaltz

ENROLLED HOUSE BILL No. 4141

AN ACT to amend 1976 PA 451,
entitled “An act to provide a system of public instruction and elementary and
secondary schools; to revise, consolidate, and clarify the laws relating to
elementary and secondary education; to provide for the organization,
regulation, and maintenance of schools, school districts, public school academies,
intermediate school districts, and other public school entities; to prescribe
rights, powers, duties, and privileges of schools, school districts, public
school academies, intermediate school districts, and other public school
entities; to provide for the regulation of school teachers and certain other
school employees; to provide for school elections and to prescribe powers and
duties with respect thereto; to provide for the levy and collection of taxes;
to provide for the borrowing of money and issuance of bonds and other evidences
of indebtedness; to establish a fund and provide for expenditures from that
fund; to make appropriations for certain purposes; to provide for and prescribe
the powers and duties of certain state departments, the state board of
education, and certain other boards and officials; to provide for licensure of
boarding schools; to prescribe penalties; and to repeal acts and parts of acts,”
(MCL 380.1 to 380.1852) by adding section 1303a; and to repeal acts and parts
of acts.

The People of the State of
Michigan enact:

Sec.
1303a. (1) Beginning in the 2026-2027 school year, the board of a school
district or the board of directors of a public school academy shall implement a
wireless communications device policy that prohibits students from using a
wireless communications device on school grounds during instructional time.

(2) The board of a school district or the board of directors
of a public school academy may implement additional restrictions regarding the
use of wireless communications devices.

(3) A wireless communications device policy implemented under
this section must provide details regarding enforcement mechanisms that the
school will use to achieve the goals of the policy.

(4) A wireless communications device policy implemented under
this section must provide exemptions for all of the following:

(a) Medically necessary devices.

(b) District-owned devices, including, but not limited to,
school-issued tablets and laptops.

(c) Devices designated by the district to be used for
instructional purposes.

(d) Devices used for special education programming or devices
provided as an accommodation to students as required under section 504 of title
V of the rehabilitation act of 1973, 29 USC 794, or as part of an
individualized education plan under title II of the Americans with disabilities
act of 1990, 42 USC 12131 to 12165.

(e) Lesson-specific academic assignments, at the limited and
direct discretion of a classroom teacher.

(f) Emergency situations, as described in an emergency
operations plan developed under section 1308b. Use of a wireless communications
device under this subdivision must not interfere with school emergency
protocols or the actions of first responders, and must not endanger students or
faculty.

(5) The board of a school district or board of directors of a
public school academy shall post the wireless communications device policy
implemented under this section on the school district’s or public school
academy’s website.

(6) As used in this section:

(a) “Basic telephone” means a device primarily used for voice
calling that cannot support third-party applications, except those preinstalled,
and does not support access to internet platforms via applications or web
browsers.

(b) “School grounds” means a building, playing field, or
property used for school purposes to impart instruction to children or used for
functions and events sponsored by a school. School grounds does not include a
building used primarily for adult education or college extension courses.

(c) “Wireless communications device” means an electronic
device capable of, but not limited to, text messaging, voice communication,
entertainment, navigation, accessing the internet, sending and receiving photos
and videos, or producing email. Wireless communications device does not include
a basic telephone.

Enacting section 1. Section 1303 of the revised
school code, 1976 PA 451, MCL 380.1303, is repealed.

Enacting section 2.
This amendatory act does not take effect unless Senate Bill No. 495 of the
103rd Legislature is enacted into law.

This
act is ordered to take immediate effect.

Clerk of the House of
Representatives

Secretary of the Senate

Approved___________________________________________

____________________________________________________

Governor