Nebraska School Cell Phone Law (LB 140): What It Requires

Yes. Nebraska has a statewide law on student phones in school. Nebraska's LB 140 required every public school board to adopt, before the 2025–26 school year, a policy prohibiting student use of electronic communication devices on school property and at school instructional functions, subject to statutory exceptions.

What LB 140 requires

• • Before the 2025–26 school year, every public school board had to adopt a policy with rules and standards for student use of electronic communication devices, developed with stakeholder participation.
• • The policy must prohibit student use of electronic communication devices on school property and while attending a school instructional function, except as the law allows.
• • The policy may not prohibit use required by an IEP or Section 504 plan, district-authorized educational use during instructional time, use in an emergency or perceived threat of danger, use to monitor or manage health care, or use the school board or an appropriate school employee allows.
• • Discipline and enforcement that limit student access to devices may be included only as part of student-conduct rules adopted under section 79-262.
• • The law states it should not be read to authorize monitoring, collecting or accessing information on devices the district does not own or provide for academic use (LB 140 §1(3)).

The key provision, verbatim

“prohibit the use of an electronic communication device by students while on school property or attending a school instructional function”

— LB 140, § 1(2)(a)(i)

Timeline

1. May 20, 2025Gov. Jim Pillen approves LB 140; the emergency clause makes it effective immediately

Where phones must be kept

LB 140 bars use rather than requiring storage; any rule that limits students' access to devices must be adopted through the board's student-conduct rules under § 79-262, and §1(3) states the law does not authorize monitoring or accessing information on student-owned devices.

What the law says about student-device data

“This section should not be interpreted to authorize monitoring, collecting, or otherwise accessing any information on an electronic communication device not owned by or provided for academic use by the school district.”

— LB 140, § 1(3)

This page does not interpret the clause. Districts should have counsel review any tool that monitors, collects or accesses information from student devices before using it.

Checklist for Nebraska administrators

1. Confirm the board policy prohibits student use on school property and at school instructional functions, and lists all five statutory exceptions.
2. Document the student, parent and educator participation used to develop or revise the policy.
3. Adopt any discipline or access-limiting enforcement as part of your student-conduct rules under section 79-262.
4. Spell out when the board or staff will allow use (the fifth exception) so practice matches the written policy.
5. Have counsel review any tool that monitors or accesses information on student-owned devices against LB 140 §1(3).