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New York: phone-free schools are coming statewide

New York will deploy bell-to-bell smartphone restrictions across K-12 starting in the 2025–26 school year, with districts preparing now. NYC has also updated its device policy to bar use of internet-enabled devices during the school day. Expect locked pouches, centralized storage, and parent-contact alternatives. Governor Kathy Hochul

Florida: phones, pronouns, and library materials

Phones: Florida became the first state to require no student phone use during instructional time in 2023 (HB 379). Lawmakers advanced proposals in 2025 to expand that to all-day restrictions in many districts. Districts must also teach about social media’s effects and block TikTok on district networks. The Florida Senate Education Commission of the States

Pronouns & instructional materials (HB 1069): Florida’s 2023 law codified definitions of sex in education code, set rules for pronouns and reproductive-health content, and expanded library-materials objection procedures—policies that continue to shape district practices this fall. The Florida Senate

Texas: book-ratings law partly blocked, plus safety and chaplains

Library law (HB 900): The Fifth Circuit barred Texas from enforcing the bookseller ratings mandate as likely unconstitutional, though certain library-standards provisions remain. Districts should not require vendors to rate sexual content but should follow remaining standards until litigation fully resolves. The Texas Tribune Texas Library Association Texas State Teachers Association

Campus safety (HB 3): Districts must ensure at least one armed security officer on every campus during regular hours or adopt a “good-cause” alternative plan with annual review. Implementation remains challenging and uneven. txssc.txstate.edu Texas Education Agency Axios

School chaplains (SB 763): Districts may employ or accept volunteer chaplains (not SBEC-certified counselors) subject to statutory constraints and local board votes recorded by deadlines. LegiScan Texas Education Agencytxssc.txstate.edu

Oregon: fentanyl lessons and bus-camera enforcement

Beginning 2024–25, all districts must implement synthetic-opioid (fentanyl) prevention lessons at middle grades and at least once in high school—part of a statewide health-education push. Oregon+1

Separately, HB 4147 authorizes stop-arm cameras on school buses to cite drivers who ignore bus safety lights—an operational and privacy consideration as districts deploy the tech this year. OLISopb