HB 5149, An Act Concerning Phone-Free Schools

TESTIMONY OF THE CONNECTICUT HOSPITAL ASSOCIATION
SUBMITTED TO THE EDUCATION COMMITTEE

Friday, February 20, 2026

The Connecticut Hospital Association (CHA) appreciates this opportunity to submit testimony concerning HB 5149, An Act Concerning Phone-Free Schools.  CHA has specific concerns that HB 5149 as written, without clear exceptions for healthcare, might negatively impact patients. 

Connecticut hospitals make our state stronger by delivering nationally recognized, world-class care, supporting jobs and economic growth, and serving communities across Connecticut.  Every day, hospitals improve access, affordability, and health equity — providing care to all patients regardless of ability to pay.  At the same time, hospitals invest in their workforce and local communities, even as they navigate significant financial and federal challenges.

The overall goal of HB 5149 is to stop students in K-12 schools from using devices during the “school day” if those devices can be connected to the internet.  The list of devices that would be prohibited during the school day is broad and would include a variety of medical devices as well as software applications that run on cellphones, smart watches, tablets, and other devices.  These devices are essential to support certain types of medical monitoring or other important personal healthcare-related activities, including providing care reminders, feedback, monitoring critical devices used for the care and oversight of conditions such as asthma, diabetes, cardiac issues, and mental and behavioral health conditions.

We appreciate the state’s desire to reduce students’ distractions.  At the same time, it is essential to minimize intrusion into students’ medical and healthcare needs (or the healthcare needs of others).  A health-related exception to a ban should be broader and easier to understand, at least initially. 

New York recently passed a similar law banning devices in schools.  The New York provisions recognize a broader range of instances in which the healthcare needs of a student, or of another person, would warrant an exception to the ban, including as “necessary for the management of a student’s healthcare” and “on a case-by-case basis, upon review and determination by a school psychologist, school social worker, or school counselor, for a student caregiver who is routinely responsible for the care and wellbeing of a family member.” 

We urge you to add limited exceptions for medical issues, and recommend you replace the existing subdivision (2) at line 27 with:

(2) In accordance with the local policy adopted pursuant to subdivision (3) of this subsection, no student enrolled in grades kindergarten to twelve, inclusive, in a public school in the state shall possess or use a personal mobile electronic device during the regular school day, except a student shall be permitted to possess or use a personal mobile electronic device if (A) such possession or use is necessary to implement the provisions of an individualized education program for such student or a plan pursuant to Section 504 of the rehabilitation Act of 1973, as amended from time to time for such student,  (B) a licensed physician, physician assistant or advanced practice registered nurse determines that such use or access is necessary for the health and well-being of such student, (C) it is necessary for the healthcare of the student, or (D) the student is a caregiver who is routinely responsible for the well-being of a family member or other person.

Additionally, to conform Subdivision (3), we encourage you to at line 49 replace “the provisions of an individualized education program for such student or a plan pursuant to Section 504 of the Rehabilitation Act of 1973, as amended from time to time, for such student” with “exceptions outlined in subdivision (2)”

Thank you for your consideration of our position.  For additional information, contact CHA Government Relations at (203) 294-7301.