Iowa School Cell Phone Law (HF 782): What It Requires

Yes. Iowa has a statewide law on student phones in school. Iowa's HF 782 (Iowa Code § 279.88) requires every school board to restrict student use of personal electronic devices during classroom instructional time. Policies apply from the 2025–26 school year, and boards may adopt stricter rules.

What HF 782 requires

• • Each school board must adopt policies that restrict student use of personal electronic devices during classroom instructional time, starting with the school year beginning July 1, 2025.
• • Policies must identify the devices and technologies the school provides for instruction, and how parents can reach students during the school day, at school activities and in emergencies.
• • Policies must include protocols for securely storing devices in the district's possession and specify discipline, including for use during instruction or an assessment.
• • Policies must let parents petition for access for a legitimate physical or mental health reason, and allow access when a student's IEP or Section 504 plan requires it.
• • Districts had to revise their emergency operations plans by July 1, 2025 to account for the device policy.

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 board of directors of each school district shall adopt policies regarding student use of personal electronic devices during school hours that restrict student use of such devices during classroom instructional time.”

Source: Iowa Code § 279.88(1) (HF 782, sec. 2)

Timeline

1. April 30, 2025Gov. Kim Reynolds signs HF 782; it takes effect on enactment
2. May 1, 2025Statutory deadline for the Department of Education to distribute model policies
3. July 1, 2025District policies apply from the school year beginning July 1, 2025; emergency operations plans had to be revised by this date

Where phones must be kept

Iowa Code § 279.88 restricts use during classroom instruction and requires protocols for securely storing devices the district holds, but leaves where devices are kept 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 HF 782 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 Iowa administrators

1. Confirm your board policy restricts device use during classroom instructional time and covers all seven required elements, from instructional technology to the parent health petition and IEP/504 access.
2. Make sure the parent-petition process for health-related access is written down and working.
3. Confirm your emergency operations plan reflects the device policy (revision was due July 1, 2025).
4. Compare your policy with the Iowa Department of Education model policy before revising it.