HB 1129 - AS INTRODUCED
2026 SESSION
26-2348
12/07
HOUSE BILL 1129
SPONSORS: Rep. M. Hall, Merr. 9; Rep. Balboni, Rock. 38; Rep. Cornell, Hills. 22; Rep. Kluger, Hills. 6; Rep. Woodcock, Carr. 1; Rep. Raymond, Hills. 5; Rep. Damon, Sull. 8; Rep. M. Murray, Hills. 37
COMMITTEE: Education Policy and Administration
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ANALYSIS
This bill authorizes superintendents or their designee to allow the use of personal laptops and tablets for specific educational purposes as an exemption to school cell phone use policies.
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Explanation: Matter added to current law appears in bold italics.
Matter removed from current law appears [in brackets and struckthrough.]
Matter which is either (a) all new or (b) repealed and reenacted appears in regular type.
26-2348
12/07
STATE OF NEW HAMPSHIRE
In the Year of Our Lord Two Thousand Twenty-Six
Be it Enacted by the Senate and House of Representatives in General Court convened:
1 Duty to Provide Education; Cell Phone Use Policies; Exception Added. Amend RSA 189:1-a, V to read as follows:
V. School boards and the board of trustees of chartered public schools shall develop and adopt a policy governing the use of student cell phones and other personal electronic communication devices in schools. Such policy shall prohibit all personal communication device use by students from when the first bell rings to start instructional time until the dismissal bell rings to end the academic school day, with approved exceptions determined by the superintendent or their designee with respect to student medical, disability, or language proficiency [need] needs. The superintendent or their designee may approve the use of personal laptops and tablets for specific educational purposes when under direct teacher supervision. Such policy shall be developed in collaboration with school parents and teachers and shall be reviewed annually. School district and chartered public school policies shall not prohibit students with medical needs, such as insulin pumps and glucose sensors, or disabilities from using a device to support their learning as identified by their individualized education program (IEP), plan developed under Section 504 of the Rehabilitation Act of 1973, 29 U.S.C. section 794, or when required to support emergent multilingual students with appropriate language access programs and services pursuant to Title VI of the Civil Rights Act of 1964.
2 Effective Date. This act shall take effect 60 days after its passage.
| Date | Body | Type |
|---|---|---|
| Jan. 12, 2026 | House | Hearing |
Jan. 8, 2026: Public Hearing: 01/12/2026 10:45 am GP 232
Dec. 1, 2025: Introduced 01/07/2026 and referred to Education Policy and Administration