HR4005-119

What This Bill Does

The UNPLUGGED Schools Grant Act of 2025 creates a new federal grant program under Title IV of the Elementary and Secondary Education Act to help public schools ban student personal electronic devices -- including smartphones, smartwatches, tablets, and laptops -- during school hours. To qualify for grant funding, a state must adopt a statewide policy (developed with local school districts, educators, parents, and students) that prohibits student possession or use of personal electronic devices during the instructional day at every public school in the state. The grant money is earmarked specifically for purchasing secure storage -- lockable lockers, lock boxes, magnetic pouches, signal-blocking bags -- so schools have a place to store students' confiscated devices. Funding is allocated to states using the same Title I formula that distributes education aid based on low-income student counts, with a minimum floor of 0.5% per state.

Who Benefits and How

• Secure storage manufacturers and vendors (lockable locker companies, magnetic pouch makers like Yondr, signal-blocking bag producers) benefit directly because the grant funds must be spent exclusively on acquiring their products. Every participating state would need to equip every public school with storage solutions.
• Public school students benefit from reduced screen-time distractions during the school day, which proponents argue improves focus, academic performance, and mental health.
• Teachers and school staff benefit from reduced classroom disruptions caused by student phone use and social media.
• State educational agencies gain access to new federal grant funding to implement phone-free school policies they may already be considering.

Who Bears the Burden and How

• State educational agencies bear a significant compliance burden: they must design and implement a statewide device-ban policy in coordination with every local school district, submit certification applications to the Secretary of Education, and ensure exceptions for students with health conditions, disabilities, and English learners.
• Local school districts and public schools bear the operational burden of enforcing the device ban daily, managing secure storage logistics, handling exception documentation, and maintaining parent-school communication channels for forgotten items and emergencies.
• Students and families lose the ability for students to carry phones during school, which some families view as a safety concern (though the bill requires schools to maintain parent communication channels).
• Consumer electronics industry faces a modest negative signal as the federal government formally discourages student device use during school hours.

Key Provisions

• Creates the UNPLUGGED Schools Grant Program under a new Part G of Title IV of ESEA
• Requires states to adopt a statewide policy prohibiting student possession or use of personal electronic devices during school hours at all public schools
• Permits exceptions for students with health conditions (certified by a healthcare provider), students with IEPs or 504 plans, English learners, and others as determined by the state
• Restricts grant spending to acquiring secure storage methods: lockable lockers, lock boxes, magnetic pouches, signal-blocking devices
• Allocates funding using the Title I, Part A formula with a 0.5% state minimum
• Explicitly excludes school-authorized laptops/tablets used only for instructional purposes with social media blocked
• Preserves state and local authority to adopt more restrictive device policies
• Authorizes 'such sums as may be necessary' (open-ended appropriation authorization)