To prohibit the use of smartphones at Department of Defense Education Activity schools.
Sponsors
Jim Banks
R-IN | Primary Sponsor
Legislative Progress
IntroducedMr. Banks (for himself and Ms. Slotkin) introduced the following …
Summary
What This Bill Does
The REFOCUS DODEA Act requires the Secretary of Defense to ban smartphone use during school hours at all Department of Defense Education Activity (DODEA) schools. Students attending these military-connected schools must store their phones in lockers or secure pouches throughout the school day, with exceptions only for medical needs and emergencies. The Defense Department has 30 days after the bill becomes law to write the regulations.
Who Benefits and How
Parents of DODEA students who are concerned about smartphone distraction in classrooms benefit from this policy, as their children will have less access to phones during learning time. Manufacturers of phone storage products like Yondr pouches, phone lockers, and secure storage containers stand to gain financially, as DODEA schools will need to purchase these products to comply with the mandate. School administrators seeking to reduce phone-related disruptions also benefit from having federal backing for a phone-free policy.
Who Bears the Burden and How
DODEA students, who number approximately 66,000 at schools on military bases worldwide, lose the ability to use their smartphones during school hours for non-emergency purposes. DODEA schools must spend time and money implementing the storage systems and enforcing the new rules. The Department of Defense faces the administrative burden of drafting regulations within the tight 30-day deadline and overseeing compliance across all DODEA facilities globally.
Key Provisions
- Bans smartphone use during the entire school day at all DODEA schools
- Requires schools to provide phone lockers or approved pouches for secure storage
- Gives the Defense Department only 30 days to write and publish the regulations
- Creates exemptions for students who need phones for medical reasons or emergencies
- Applies to all DODEA schools globally, including those on bases in Europe, Asia, and the Americas
Evidence Chain:
This summary is derived from the structured analysis below. See "Detailed Analysis" for per-title beneficiaries/burden bearers with clause-level evidence links.
Primary Purpose
Prohibits smartphone use during school hours at Department of Defense Education Activity (DODEA) schools.
Policy Domains
Legislative Strategy
"Reduce smartphone distraction in military-connected schools to improve educational outcomes"
Likely Beneficiaries
- DODEA school administrators seeking phone-free classrooms
- Parents of DODEA students concerned about phone distraction
- Phone locker and pouch manufacturers
Likely Burden Bearers
- DODEA students who lose smartphone access during school
- Department of Defense (implementation costs)
- DODEA schools (compliance and enforcement burden)
Bill Structure & Actor Mappings
Who is "The Secretary" in each section?
- "the_director"
- → Director of the Department of Defense Education Activity
- "the_secretary"
- → Secretary of Defense
Key Definitions
Terms defined in this bill
Mobile devices used by students during school day (exact definition not provided in bill text, refers to common understanding)
The duration during which students attend school (specific hours not defined in bill)
We use a combination of our own taxonomy and classification in addition to large language models to assess meaning and potential beneficiaries. High confidence means strong textual evidence. Always verify with the original bill text.
Learn more about our methodology