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

HB 684 would require Mississippi public school districts to create age-appropriate policies banning student cell phone use from the start to end of the school day (bell-to-bell). The policies must prohibit suspensions or expulsions for violations, mandate storage of devices off-person during class, and include exceptions for health needs under IEPs or 504 plans. Elementary schools would ban phones entirely indoors, while middle schools would allow stored phones but restrict use during class. The bill died in committee in February 2025 and did not become law.