Compare bills | Finish In 26

Comparing Phone-free schools bills:
S: S2581 and H5366

Below are AI-assisted summaries of similarities and differences between the bills that need to be reconciled by the Reconcilation Committee. What has been resolved and remains to be rwesolved is in teh Committee's hands.

Download 1-page summary

Where the bills agree, and where they don't:

We compared the published texts of the Senate bill, S.2581, and the House amendment, H.5366. The House version replaces everything in the Senate bill after its opening clause, so the conference committee is choosing between two complete texts. Lawmakers have a lot of work to complete here. But there's lots of common ground.

The quickest compromise could start with the shared school provisions. The biggest decisions left are possession versus access, the suspension wording, which exceptions to keep, and whether the social media chapter stays in this bill or moves separately. The Senate has its own social media bill, S.3175, which could carry that chapter instead.

Disclaimer: These versions are our best attempts at citing details, assisted with AI, and subject to review from press releases and published material, but may have flaws and mistakes. Check with your State Senator or Representative for confirmation of any of this. It's their domain; our purpose is to provide the best synopsis we can.

Where the Bills Agree

Device definition: Nearly identical. Phones, tablets, laptops, smartwatches and Bluetooth devices count, and school-issued devices used for learning don't.
Statewide policy: Every public district must ban student device use for the whole school day.
DESE's role: In both bills, DESE* writes guidance and a model policy, takes public input, posts the guidance online and updates it every year. The annual update covers technology that disables phones. If a district has no approved policy by September 1, DESE's model policy applies.
Required policy elements: Rules against personal use of school devices, options for secure storage, at least one way for parents and students to reach each other with plans for emergencies, and safeguards against unfair discipline.
Core exceptions: Students with an IEP or 504 plan, accommodations under the ADA, and medical needs documented by a health care provider.
Annual filing: Each district files its policy with DESE by September 1.
Local authority: Districts can still set stricter rules outside the school day.

*DESE: Massachusetts Department of Elementary and Secondary Education

Differences to Resolve

Scope: The Senate bill covers only schools. The House adds a new consumer protection chapter, 93M, on youth social media. It also changes the title to "An Act promoting safe technology use and distraction-free education for youth" and declares the law an emergency, which makes it take effect immediately.
Possession versus access:
- The Senate bans both use and "actual possession, strictly on their person."
- The House bans use and requires districts to name how they'll keep students from reaching devices. Secure storage, technology that disables phones or another method DESE approves all count.
Suspension and expulsion:
- The Senate rules out suspension or expulsion for breaking the policy.
- The House rules it out only "solely due to said noncompliance." LockedIn describes the two as the same, but the bill texts differ.
Definition of "school day": The Senate names recess, lunch and passing time. The House defines it in more detail, from the first student's arrival to the last dismissal, including meetings with counselors and school-sponsored activities. Districts would decide which activities count, and after-school activities are excluded.
Other exceptions:
- Only the Senate exempts travel to off-campus programs such as early college, dual enrollment or vocational placements. It also lets DESE create targeted exemptions when there's a compelling need, and lets districts vary rules by grade level.
- Only the House exempts emergencies and language access, such as translation, approved in writing by the superintendent. It also limits every exception to "only the extent necessary."
Local process:
- The Senate requires a public hearing on DESE's guidance and public input before a school committee approves its policy.
- The House requires only public input on DESE's guidance. The school committee writes the policy with the superintendent, and a charter school's board of trustees does so for charter schools.
Notifying families:
- The Senate requires each school to notify families by September 1 and post the policy online.
- The House lets DESE set the schedule, at least once a year.
Pilot program (House only): A one-year DESE pilot in 10 districts using technology that disables phones on school grounds.
- Devices must still be able to call 911.
- The vendor must follow student privacy laws (FERPA and COPPA), can't sell student data and must delete it.
- DESE reports on results within 180 days after the pilot ends.
Social media instruction (House only): Districts must teach the risks of social media at appropriate grade levels. DESE provides guidance and teacher training with the attorney general and the Department of Public Health.
Social media rules (House only):
- Ban accounts for children under 14 and require verified parental consent for 14- and 15-year-olds.
- Restrictive default settings for 14- and 15-year-olds, no addictive feeds and no notifications between midnight and 6 a.m.
- Age verification with an appeals process, and age data kept separate and confidential.
- Platforms can't share minors' LGBTQ+ status or other protected status.
- Platforms must publicly report verification numbers.
- Enforcement under the consumer protection law (93A): fines of up to $5,000 per account that breaks the age rules, and up to $1 million per day for reporting violations. The attorney general writes regulations and runs a complaint portal.
Dates:
- The Senate requires policies before the 2026–27 school year and a DESE report by December 31, 2027.
- The House requires filing by September 1, 2026, attorney general regulations by September 1, 2026, social media rules in effect October 1, 2026, and two DESE reports by September 1, 2028.
- Every deadline in 2026 has already passed, so the final bill needs new dates.

Download PDF

To-Do List for Massachusetts School Leaders

Act locally for now. Massachusetts has no statewide requirement yet, so check your district's current phone policy and revise it under your own local authority if needed.
Applications for the state's Cell Phone-Free Schools grant expired October 21, 2026.
Watch the conference committee. Follow the S.2581 negotiations for a final bill and the date it would take effect.
Plan for two likely requirements. If the bill passes as currently written, districts would file their policy with DESE by September 1 each year, and students could not be suspended or expelled for breaking it

Comparing Phone-free schools bills: S: S2581 and H5366

Where the bills agree, and where they don't:

Where the Bills Agree

Device definition: Nearly identical. Phones, tablets, laptops, smartwatches and Bluetooth devices count, and school-issued devices used for learning don't.

Statewide policy: Every public district must ban student device use for the whole school day.

DESE's role: In both bills, DESE* writes guidance and a model policy, takes public input, posts the guidance online and updates it every year. The annual update covers technology that disables phones. If a district has no approved policy by September 1, DESE's model policy applies.

Required policy elements: Rules against personal use of school devices, options for secure storage, at least one way for parents and students to reach each other with plans for emergencies, and safeguards against unfair discipline.

Core exceptions: Students with an IEP or 504 plan, accommodations under the ADA, and medical needs documented by a health care provider.

Annual filing: Each district files its policy with DESE by September 1.

Local authority: Districts can still set stricter rules outside the school day. *DESE: Massachusetts Department of Elementary and Secondary Education

Differences to Resolve

Possession versus access:

The Senate bans both use and "actual possession, strictly on their person."

The House bans use and requires districts to name how they'll keep students from reaching devices. Secure storage, technology that disables phones or another method DESE approves all count.

Suspension and expulsion:

The Senate rules out suspension or expulsion for breaking the policy.

The House rules it out only "solely due to said noncompliance." LockedIn describes the two as the same, but the bill texts differ.

Other exceptions:

Only the Senate exempts travel to off-campus programs such as early college, dual enrollment or vocational placements. It also lets DESE create targeted exemptions when there's a compelling need, and lets districts vary rules by grade level.

Only the House exempts emergencies and language access, such as translation, approved in writing by the superintendent. It also limits every exception to "only the extent necessary."

Local process:

The Senate requires a public hearing on DESE's guidance and public input before a school committee approves its policy.

The House requires only public input on DESE's guidance. The school committee writes the policy with the superintendent, and a charter school's board of trustees does so for charter schools.

Notifying families:

The Senate requires each school to notify families by September 1 and post the policy online.

The House lets DESE set the schedule, at least once a year.

Pilot program (House only): A one-year DESE pilot in 10 districts using technology that disables phones on school grounds.

Devices must still be able to call 911.

The vendor must follow student privacy laws (FERPA and COPPA), can't sell student data and must delete it.

DESE reports on results within 180 days after the pilot ends.

Social media instruction (House only): Districts must teach the risks of social media at appropriate grade levels. DESE provides guidance and teacher training with the attorney general and the Department of Public Health.

Social media rules (House only):

Ban accounts for children under 14 and require verified parental consent for 14- and 15-year-olds.

Restrictive default settings for 14- and 15-year-olds, no addictive feeds and no notifications between midnight and 6 a.m.

Age verification with an appeals process, and age data kept separate and confidential.

Platforms can't share minors' LGBTQ+ status or other protected status.

Platforms must publicly report verification numbers.

Enforcement under the consumer protection law (93A): fines of up to $5,000 per account that breaks the age rules, and up to $1 million per day for reporting violations. The attorney general writes regulations and runs a complaint portal.

Dates:

The Senate requires policies before the 2026–27 school year and a DESE report by December 31, 2027.

The House requires filing by September 1, 2026, attorney general regulations by September 1, 2026, social media rules in effect October 1, 2026, and two DESE reports by September 1, 2028.

Every deadline in 2026 has already passed, so the final bill needs new dates.

To-Do List for Massachusetts School Leaders

To-Do List for Massachusetts School Leaders

Act locally for now. Massachusetts has no statewide requirement yet, so check your district's current phone policy and revise it under your own local authority if needed.

Applications for the state's Cell Phone-Free Schools grant expired October 21, 2026.

Watch the conference committee. Follow the S.2581 negotiations for a final bill and the date it would take effect.

Plan for two likely requirements. If the bill passes as currently written, districts would file their policy with DESE by September 1 each year, and students could not be suspended or expelled for breaking it

Comparing Phone-free schools bills:
S: S2581 and H5366

Local authority: Districts can still set stricter rules outside the school day.

*DESE: Massachusetts Department of Elementary and Secondary Education