Arkansas School Cell Phone Law (SB 142 / Act 122): What It Requires

Yes. Arkansas has a statewide law on student phones in school. Arkansas's Bell to Bell, No Cell Act makes districts and open-enrollment charters restrict phone possession and ban use from arrival to dismissal. DESE reviews and approves each policy. SB 142 / Act 122 was signed by Gov. Sarah Huckabee Sanders on February 20, 2025.

What SB 142 / Act 122 requires

• • Every district and open-enrollment public charter school must have a written policy on student possession and use of personal electronic devices during the school day
• • The policy must restrict possession of devices and prohibit their use during the school day
• • The policy must exempt students who need a device for health reasons, use after the school day for extracurricular activities, emergencies and school-issued devices
• • The policy may not bar use included in an IEP or 504 plan, or needed for two-factor login in an endorsed concurrent-enrollment course
• • Policies go to DESE for review and approval and must be posted on the school website before the first day of each school year
• • Failing to adopt or enforce the policy is cited as a violation of the Standards for Accreditation

The emergency wording for every state, D.C. and Puerto Rico is in school phone ban emergency exceptions by state.

The key provision, verbatim

“The policy shall, without limitation: (1) Restrict the possession of a personal electronic device during the school day; (2) Prohibit the use of a personal electronic device during the school day;”

Source: Ark. Code § 6-18-515(c), as amended by Act 122 of 2025

Timeline

1. February 20, 2025Gov. Sarah Huckabee Sanders approves SB 142 (Act 122); policies required by the 2025–26 school year

Where phones must be kept

Act 122 requires policies that "restrict the possession" and "prohibit the use" of devices during the school day; it leaves the storage method to each district.

Some schools back a written policy with phone-management software such as LockedIn: students' own phones lock automatically on campus during school hours and unlock after school, with no pouches or hardware; the admin dashboard flags workarounds by student name, such as a possible uninstall or a new device awaiting approval; and in an emergency, one tap from an administrator starts Emergency Mode on every phone on campus. Software does not replace the policy SB 142 / Act 122 requires, and it should be set up around the exceptions the law lists; have counsel review any tool that handles student device data.

Checklist for Arkansas administrators

1. Confirm your policy restricts possession and prohibits use from required arrival until dismissal
2. Check the required exemptions: health reasons, emergencies, after-school extracurriculars and school-issued devices
3. Keep IEP, 504 and concurrent-enrollment two-factor exceptions in writing
4. Keep a record of DESE approval and any later changes you submit
5. Post the policy on your website before the first day of each school year