Public schools; require school boards to adopt policy on bell-to-bell cell phone prohibition.

HB 167 requires Mississippi public school districts to create and implement age-appropriate policies restricting student cell phone use during the entire school day (from bell-to-bell). The policies must prohibit suspensions or expulsions for violations and include specific rules, such as requiring elementary students to store phones turned off and middle school students to store phones during school hours. School boards must post these policies online and integrate them into school safety plans, with exceptions for students needing phones for health reasons under IEPs or 504 plans. The bill applies directly to all public elementary, middle, and high schools in Mississippi.