§239. Prohibition against unauthorized use of electronic telecommunication devices; exceptions; penalties

            A.(1) Effective beginning with the 2003-2004 school year and thereafter, no student, unless authorized by the school principal or his designee, shall use or operate any electronic telecommunication device including any facsimile system, radio paging service, mobile telephone service, intercom, or electro-mechanical paging system in any public elementary or secondary school building or on the grounds thereof or in any school bus used to transport public school students.

            (2)(a) Effective beginning with the 2024-2025 school year and thereafter, no student shall possess, on his person, an electronic telecommunication device throughout the instructional day. If a student brings an electronic telecommunication device in any public elementary or secondary school building or on the grounds thereof during an instructional day, the electronic device shall either be turned off and properly stowed away for the duration of the instructional day or prohibited from being turned on and used during the instructional day.

            (b) The provisions of Subparagraph (a) of this Paragraph are not applicable to a student whose Individualized Education Program, Individualized Accommodation Plan, Section 504 Plan, or Individualized Health Plan requires the student's use of an electronic telecommunication device.

            B. A violation of the provisions of Subsection A of this Section may be grounds for disciplinary action by the school system, including but not limited to suspension from school.

            C. Nothing in this Section shall affect the conduct of law enforcement activities including the use of electronic detection devices, dogs, or other means of conducting searches for weapons, drugs, or other contraband in whatever manner is otherwise permitted by law and consistent with local school board policy.

            D. Nothing in this Section shall prohibit the use and operation by any person, including students, of any electronic telecommunication device described in Subsection A of this Section in the event of an emergency. Emergency means an actual or imminent threat to public health or safety which may result in loss of life, injury, or property damage.

            Acts 1989, No. 526, §1; Acts 2003, No. 927, §1, eff. August 1, 2003; Acts 2024, No. 313, §1, eff. May 28, 2024.