Monitoring the Session

SB 2365

bill banning student phones during instructional time

Died in committee

Verdict: No flags

No flagsInitial review
Sen. Brandon CreightonRSenate 4

Initial review · graded Oct 20, 2026 · Headline, summary and grade are analysis of the bill text, not a finding about any person · How we grade

Caption

relating to the use of personal wireless communication devices by students during instructional time.

Caption from analyzed text · version I.

Summary

School-issued devices are fine.

The bill requires every Texas school district and charter school to adopt a policy banning students from using personal phones, tablets, laptops and similar wireless devices during instructional time. It reaches students, teachers and school boards, while devices the school hands out for instruction are not covered. On the ground, each classroom must set aside a secure, out-of-sight spot where students' personal devices are stored during class.

Labels

Labels: ACROSS THE AISLE. Joint authors: 9 Republicans, 2 Democrats. Party as the Legislative Reference Library lists it for the 89th Legislature.

Receipt

The receipt

89R-SB2365 · 2025-03-12

SOLD BY

Sen. Brandon CreightonRSenate 4 Sen. Paul BettencourtRSenate 7 Sen. Donna CampbellRSenate 25

+ 8 more authors, 4 coauthors

ITEM

relating to the use of personal wireless communication devices by students during instructional time.

WHAT IT DOES

School-issued devices are fine.

The bill requires every Texas school district and charter school to adopt a policy banning students from using personal phones, tablets, laptops and similar wireless devices during instructional time. It reaches students, teachers and school boards, while devices the school hands out for instruction are not covered. On the ground, each classroom must set aside a secure, out-of-sight spot where students' personal devices are stored during class.

CHARGES

[ ] NONE FOUND

TOTAL

No fiscal implication to the State is anticipated.

LBB estimate · fiscal note version S · source

Sources

Fiscal note · version S · April 4, 2025

No first-year general revenue figure available here.

LBB published estimates · flow over the stated periods.

Source snapshot 2026-10-19, Central time.

HISTORY

  1. Received by the Secretary of the Senate
  2. Filed
  3. Read first time
  4. Referred to Education K-16
  5. Scheduled for public hearing on . . .
  6. Considered in public hearing
  7. Testimony taken in committee
  8. Left pending in committee
  9. Considered in public hearing
  10. Vote taken in committee
  11. Reported favorably as substituted
  12. Committee report printed and distributed
  13. Co-author authorized
  14. Placed on intent calendar
  15. Not again placed on intent calendar
  16. Co-author authorized
  17. Placed on intent calendar
  18. Rules suspended-Regular order of business
  19. Read 2nd time & passed to engrossment
  20. Vote recorded in Journal
  21. Three day rule suspended
  22. Record vote
  23. Read 3rd time
  24. Passed
  25. Record vote
  26. Reported engrossed
  27. Received from the Senate
  28. Read first time
  29. Referred to Public Education
FILED UNDER

No verified beat found.

SIGNED FOR BY

Senate · 31 yea · 0 nay

Sources

Senate: Final passage · Apr 15, 2025. Journal. Published stock for this vote. Snapshot 2026-10-19, Central time.

All floor motions and other positions below.

No flags

THANK YOU FOR CHECKING THE RECEIPT

CAMPAIGN PAID FOR BY

CAMPAIGN PAID FOR BY

Brandon Creighton

Donors

Donors report through Friends of Brandon Creighton.

Not tied to this bill.

Sources

The author's campaign account only. Own money and internal transfers are separate on the member page.

$0 raised since Jul 1, 2024. Derived sum of published report totals. blank in the state's data, consistent with zero. Flow, Jul 1, 2024 through Jun 30, 2026. State filing data as of Nov 4, 2026. 4 of 4 filed reports carry a published figure.

Report 101060909: Published total from the filed report. Retrieved Oct 29, 2026. Filed report 101060909

$0 spent Jan 1, 2026 to Jun 30, 2026. Published total from the filed report. Flow, Jan 1, 2026 through Jun 30, 2026. State filing data as of Nov 4, 2026. 1 of 1 filed reports carry a published figure.

Report 101060909: Published total from the filed report. Retrieved Oct 29, 2026. Filed report 101060909

$0 cash on hand. Published report total. Stock, as of Jun 30, 2026. State filing data as of Nov 4, 2026.

$0 loans outstanding. Published report total. Stock, as of Jun 30, 2026. State filing data as of Nov 4, 2026.

Derived sum of itemized contributions in regular reports and uncovered special-session dates. Unitemized contributions are not included. Flow, Jul 1, 2024 through Jun 30, 2026. State filing data as of Nov 4, 2026.

Money

Missing data does not establish zero giving. Display amounts are rounded.

Votes3

Senate Apr 15, 2025

Yea
31
Nay
0
Present, not voting
Not printed
Absent
Not printed
Excused
Not printed
Names

Senate journal

Names were not printed. No individual positions are inferred.

Sources

Senator Creighton moved that Senate Rule 7.18 and the Constitutional Rule requiring bills to be read on three several days be suspended and that CSSB 2365 be placed on its third reading and final passage. The motion prevailed by the following vote: Yeas 31, Nays 0. The bill was read third time and was passed by the following vote: Yeas 31, Nays 0.

Published stock of positions for this vote, except where marked derived.

  • Yea: 31 (published)
  • Nay: 0 (published)
  • Present, not voting: Not printed
  • Absent: Not printed
  • Excused: Not printed

Senate journal. Source snapshot 2026-10-19, Central time.

Senate Apr 15, 2025

Yea
31
Nay
0
Present, not voting
Not printed
Absent
Not printed
Excused
Not printed
Names

Senate journal

Names were not printed. No individual positions are inferred.

Sources

Senator Creighton moved that Senate Rule 7.18 and the Constitutional Rule requiring bills to be read on three several days be suspended and that CSSB 2365 be placed on its third reading and final passage. The motion prevailed by the following vote: Yeas 31, Nays 0.

Published stock of positions for this vote, except where marked derived.

  • Yea: 31 (published)
  • Nay: 0 (published)
  • Present, not voting: Not printed
  • Absent: Not printed
  • Excused: Not printed

Senate journal. Source snapshot 2026-10-19, Central time.

Senate Apr 15, 2025

Yea
Not printed
Nay
Not printed
Present, not voting
Not printed
Absent
Not printed
Excused
Not printed
Names

Senate journal

Names were not printed. No individual positions are inferred.

Voice vote. No numeric tally or individual yeas are inferred.

Sources

The bill was read second time and was passed to engrossment by a viva voce vote.

Published stock of positions for this vote, except where marked derived.

  • Yea: Not printed
  • Nay: Not printed
  • Present, not voting: Not printed
  • Absent: Not printed
  • Excused: Not printed

Senate journal. Source snapshot 2026-10-19, Central time.

Witnesses17
For
11
Against
1
On
5
Names

For

  • Association of Texas Professional Educators (ATPE)1 registration
  • ExcelInEd in Action1 registration
  • TEPI1 registration
  • Texas 20361 registration
  • Texas Association of Business1 registration
  • Texas Association of School Administrators1 registration
  • Texas Association of School Boards1 registration
  • Texas Parent to Parent & Self1 registration
  • Texas Parent to Parent & self1 registration
  • Texas PTA1 registration
  • The E3 Alliance1 registration

Against

  • Self1 registration

On

  • Self1 registration
  • Self; Grandview ISD1 registration
  • TEA1 registration
  • Texas Association of School Boards1 registration
  • Tx Education Agency1 registration
Sources

17 parsed registrations across the loaded witness lists.

Derived stock of witness registrations. Repeated appearances count separately. Organizations and self-representation appear as printed.

Senate witness list. Source snapshot 2026-10-20, Central time.

Fiscal

No fiscal implication to the State is anticipated.

LBB estimate · fiscal note version S · source

Sources

Fiscal note · version S · April 4, 2025

No first-year general revenue figure available here.

LBB published estimates · flow over the stated periods.

Source snapshot 2026-10-19, Central time.

How this was graded

Analysis of text version I by claude-opus-5-5, Oct 20, 2026, against the published rubric.

Sources

Texas Senate · Filed Mar 12, 2025

04/17/2025 H Referred to Public Education: Apr 17 2025 2:29PM

Texas Legislature Online · Introduced · Senate Committee Report · Engrossed

Data snapshot Oct 26, 2026 at 4:20 AM CDT. Grades, charges, quotes and corrections follow the published record.

Coauthors
Bob HallRSenate 2 Kelly HancockRSenate 9 Lois KolkhorstRSenate 18 Kevin SparksRSenate 31

House committee · Public Education · Final status: Died in committee

Senate committee · Education K-16 · Committee vote 10 aye, 0 nay, 1 absent · Out of committee

Companion

HB 1481 by Fairly (very similar)

Subjects

Education--Primary & Secondary--Charter Schools

Education--Primary & Secondary--General

Education--School Districts

Electronic Information Systems

COMPUTERS & SOFTWARE

EMAIL & ELECTRONIC COMMUNICATIONS

TELEPHONES & TELEPHONE DIRECTORIES

Text

The text as introduced · 218 words

By: Creighton, et al.
S.B. No. 2365

A BILL TO BE ENTITLED

relating to the use of personal wireless communication devices by

students during instructional time.

BE IT ENACTED BY THE LEGISLATURE OF THE STATE OF TEXAS:

SECTION 1. Subchapter A, Chapter 38, Education Code, is

amended by adding Section 38.0232 to read as follows:

Sec. 38.0232. PERSONAL DEVICE USE BY STUDENTS PROHIBITED.

(a) In this section, "personal wireless communication device"

means any wireless electronic communication device, other than a

device provided to students by a school for instructional purposes,

capable of transmitting and/or receiving data, including cellular

telephones, text messaging devices, laptop computers, and tablet

computers.

(b) Notwithstanding Section 38.0231, the board of trustees

of a school district and the governing body of an open-enrollment

charter school shall adopt policies prohibiting students from using

personal wireless communication devices during instructional time.

(c) Policies adopted under Subsection (a) must require that

classrooms designate a secure, out-of-sight area for the storage of

personal wireless communication devices during instructional time.

SECTION 2. This Act takes effect immediately if it receives

a vote of two-thirds of all the members elected to each house, as

provided by Section 39, Article III, Texas Constitution. If this

Act does not receive the vote necessary for immediate effect, this

Act takes effect September 1, 2025.