Missouri School Cell Phone Law (SB 68): What It Requires
Missouri requires every school district and charter school to bar students from displaying or using a phone from the start to the end of the school day. That includes meals, breaks, passing time and study halls.
State lawsBy Brian Ohebshalom and Noah Fakheri, LockedIn’s co-founders
3 min read
Missouri school cell phone law: key facts
Enacted (bell-to-bell)- Statute or action
- SB 68 (2025)
- Citation
- RSMo § 162.207 (expires Aug 28, 2032)
- Signed or issued by
- Gov. Mike Kehoe,
- Takes effect
- Aug 28, 2025; policies required for 2025–26 and every school year after
- Scope
- Beginning to end of the school day, including instructional time, meals, breaks, time between classes and study halls
- Exceptions
- IEP, 504 plan or individualized (emergency) health care plan, Use required under the ADA, the Rehabilitation Act, the Civil Rights Act or the Equal Educational Opportunities Act (English learners), Optional: defined emergencies such as fire, tornado, active shooter, evacuation or medical emergency, Optional: educational use authorized under board policy
- Enforcement
- District and charter policies set discipline; the statute bans displaying or using devices and does not mandate storage
- Statute: SB 68, enacting RSMo § 162.207; signed by Gov. Mike Kehoe July 9, 2025; effective Aug 28, 2025
- Policies required for the 2025–26 school year and every year after
- Students may not display or use a device from the beginning to the end of the school day, including meals and study halls
- Exceptions required for IEP, 504 and health plans and for federal disability, civil-rights and English-learner laws
- Policies must be posted on the district or charter website; staff acting in good faith are immune from liability
- The section expires Aug 28, 2032 unless extended
Funding: Phone-free school grants and paste-ready application language.
Primary source: SB 68 (2025)(opens in a new tab). Last verified . Not legal advice: confirm with your counsel.
Yes. Missouri has a statewide law on student phones in school. Missouri requires every school district and charter school to bar students from displaying or using a phone from the start to the end of the school day. That includes meals, breaks, passing time and study halls.
What SB 68 requires
- • Each school district and charter school must adopt a written policy on student possession or use of electronic personal communication devices
- • The policy must prohibit displaying or using a device from the beginning to the end of the school day, including instructional time, meals, breaks, time between classes and study halls
- • The policy must describe disciplinary procedures for violations
- • The policy must allow use needed to comply with an IEP, 504 plan or individualized health plan, and with the ADA, Rehabilitation Act, Civil Rights Act and Equal Educational Opportunities Act
- • The policy may allow use in a defined emergency or for educational purposes authorized by board policy
- • The policy must be published on the district or charter school website
The emergency wording for every state, D.C. and Puerto Rico is in school phone ban emergency exceptions by state.
The key provision, verbatim
“Prohibit a student from displaying or using an electronic personal communications device from the beginning of the school day until the end of the school day, including, but not limited to, instructional time, meal times, breaks, time between classes, and during study halls;”
Source: RSMo § 162.207.3(1)
Timeline
- Gov. Mike Kehoe signs SB 68
- RSMo § 162.207 takes effect; policies apply from the 2025–26 school year
- RSMo § 162.207 is set to expire
Where phones must be kept
RSMo § 162.207 bans displaying or using a device all school day; it does not require storage or ban possession.
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 68 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 Missouri administrators
- Confirm the policy bans displaying or using devices from the start to the end of the school day, including meals and study halls
- Write in the required IEP, 504, health-plan and federal-law exceptions
- Decide whether to add the optional emergency and board-authorized educational-use exceptions
- Spell out disciplinary procedures and post the policy on your website
- Choose a storage approach, which the statute leaves to you
Frequently asked questions
When does Missouri's SB 68 take effect?
Effective date and deadlines for SB 68: Aug 28, 2025; policies required for 2025–26 and every school year after.
Is there a cell phone ban in Missouri schools?
Yes. Since the 2025–26 school year, every Missouri district and charter school must bar students from displaying or using a personal device from the start to the end of the school day.
Does the Missouri law cover lunch?
Yes. RSMo § 162.207 lists instructional time, meal times, breaks, time between classes and study halls as part of the school day.
Can Missouri students keep phones in their backpacks?
The law bans displaying or using a device during the school day; it does not require storage or ban possession, so where phones are kept is up to each district or charter school.
Does the Missouri school phone law expire?
Yes. RSMo § 162.207 is set to expire on Aug 28, 2032 unless lawmakers extend it.
Does the Missouri phone law apply to private schools?
No. It applies to school districts and charter schools.
How many states have school cell phone laws?
As of October 27, 2026, 44 states and D.C. have a statewide law, executive order or state board policy that requires public schools to restrict student phones or adopt a phone policy, and Missouri is one of them. 6 states have no statewide requirement.
Sources for Missouri
Phone rules change with new bills, administrative rules and local board policy. Checked against these sources on . Not legal advice: confirm with counsel before you adopt policy language.
- SB 68 (2025): official record(opens in a new tab)RSMo § 162.207 (expires Aug 28, 2032)
- SB 68 (2025) bill information, Missouri Senate(opens in a new tab)
- Missouri Department of Elementary & Secondary Education(opens in a new tab)State K–12 education agency
Compare every state: which states ban phones in school, or find your state’s education agency through the U.S. Department of Education’s state contacts.