Shown verbatim: the complete text as captured from the official PDF posted by the Oklahoma Legislature, fetched 2026-07-23. Page and line markers are part of the official record; nothing is edited or removed. The official bill page.
1 STATE OF OKLAHOMA
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2 1st Session of the 60th Legislature (2025)
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3 SENATE BILL 139 By: Seifried
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6 AS INTRODUCED
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7 An Act relating to schools; requiring school district
7 boards of education to adopt a policy prohibiting use
8 of cell phones while on campus during certain time
8 period; defining term; directing policy to contain
9 disciplinary procedures; allowing policy to include
9 certain exceptions; directing the State Department of
10 Education to establish certain grant program;
10 directing certain amount to be made available in
11 grants, subject to availability of funding;
11 prescribing use of grant funds; directing grant
12 applications to be submitted on certain form;
12 providing for contents of application; directing
13 grants to be awarded on certain basis; allowing the
13 State Board of Education, in certain conjunction, to
14 issue a request for proposals and enter into certain
14 contract; providing for codification; providing an
15 effective date; and declaring an emergency.
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18 BE IT ENACTED BY THE PEOPLE OF THE STATE OF OKLAHOMA:
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19 SECTION 1. NEW LAW A new section of law to be codified
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20 in the Oklahoma Statutes as Section 1-126 of Title 70, unless there
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21 is created a duplication in numbering, reads as follows:
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22 A. Each school district board of education shall adopt a policy
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23 prohibiting students from using cell phones while on the campus of a
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24 public school district from bell to bell. For the purposes of this
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Req. No. 5 Page 1
1 section, "bell to bell" means the time between the first bell
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2 ringing at the start of the school day to begin instructional time
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3 until the dismissal bell at the end of the school day to end
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4 instructional time. The policy shall include disciplinary
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5 procedures for violations.
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6 B. The policy adopted pursuant to subsection A of this section
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7 may provide for exceptions including, but not be limited to:
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8 1. Emergency use of cell phones by students during the school
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9 day; and
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10 2. Use of cell phones by students who use them to monitor
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11 health issues.
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12 C. 1. The State Department of Education shall establish a
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13 grant program to provide middle schools and high schools with grant
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14 funds to support implementation of the policies adopted pursuant to
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15 subsection A of this section. Subject to the availability of
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16 funding, not more than Two Million Dollars ($2,000,000.00) shall be
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17 made available to middle schools and high schools to purchase
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18 devices or equipment in which students in a grant recipient middle
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19 school or high school can store their cell phones during the school
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20 day.
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21 2. Middle schools and high schools shall submit grant
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22 applications on a form prescribed by the Department. The grant
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23 application shall include the grant amount requested and the purpose
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24 for which the grant funds are to be used.
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1 3. Grant funds shall be awarded on a first-come, first-served
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2 basis and shall be provided without any limitation other than the
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3 amount of funds available and the number of middle schools and high
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4 schools that apply.
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5 4. In conjunction with the Office of Management and Enterprise
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6 Services, the State Board of Education may issue a request for
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7 proposals and enter into a contract with a vendor to offer a state
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8 rate price to grant recipient middle schools and high schools;
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9 provided, however, a grant recipient middle school or high school
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10 shall not be required to use a vendor contracted by the Board.
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11 SECTION 2. This act shall become effective July 1, 2025.
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12 SECTION 3. It being immediately necessary for the preservation
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13 of the public peace, health, or safety, an emergency is hereby
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14 declared to exist, by reason whereof this act shall take effect and
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15 be in full force from and after its passage and approval.
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17 60-1-5 EB 12/27/2024 5:29:12 PM
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Req. No. 5 Page 3Every fact on this page links to its source, starting with the official bill record.