California · 2025–26 Regular Session · Assembly Bill
AB 962: Pupil safety: comprehensive school safety plans: use of smartphones.
Enacted Official data
- Introduced
- In committee
- Passed one chamber
- Passed both chambers
- Enacted
Last official action: ·Record last updated:
Plain-language summary
AB 962 is a assembly bill introduced in the California Assembly on February 20, 2025. According to its official title, it concerns: Pupil safety: comprehensive school safety plans: use of smartphones. Primary sponsor: Josh Hoover (R). Most recent recorded action (October 3, 2025): Chaptered by Secretary of State - Chapter 284, Statutes of 2025.
Generated automatically from the official title, sponsor list, and status record only. It does not characterize the bill’s purpose or effects. How summaries are written
Official summary
Legislative Counsel’s Digest (official, as of the latest version). Written by nonpartisan legislative staff; reproduced verbatim.
Existing law provides that it is the intent of the Legislature that all public schools, teaching kindergarten or any of grades 1 to 12, inclusive, operated by a school district, in cooperation with specified entities and individuals, develop a comprehensive school safety plan, as provided. Existing law provides that school districts and county offices of education are responsible for the overall development of a comprehensive school safety plan for each of its schools, as provided. Existing law requires a comprehensive school safety plan to, among other things, identify appropriate strategies and programs that will provide or maintain a high level of school safety and address the school’s procedures for complying with existing laws related to school safety.
Existing law requires the governing board of a school district, a county board of education, and the governing body of a charter school to, by July 1, 2026, develop and adopt a policy to limit or prohibit the use by its pupils of smartphones while the pupils are at a schoolsite or while the pupils are under the supervision and control of an employee or employees of that school district, county office of education, or charter school. Existing law, however, specifies circumstances in which a pupil may not be prohibited from possessing or using a smartphone, including, among others, in the case of an emergency or in response to a perceived threat of danger.
This bill would instead authorize the prohibition on the use of a smartphone by a pupil in the case of an emergency or in response to a perceived threat of danger if that circumstance is explicitly addressed in a comprehensive school safety plan.
Sponsors
Sponsors by party (alphabetical): Republican 1
| Name | Role | Party | Chamber | District |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Josh Hoover | Primary sponsor | Republican | Assembly | 7 |
“Support” is shown only as formal sponsorship recorded by the legislature. Roll-call votes are available on the official bill page.
Recent official actions
- Chaptered by Secretary of State - Chapter 284, Statutes of 2025.
- Approved by the Governor.
- Enrolled and presented to the Governor at 3 p.m.
- Senate amendments concurred in. To Engrossing and Enrolling. (Ayes 74. Noes 0. Page 3504.).
- Joint Rules 61(a)(14) and 51(a)(4) suspended. (Ayes 59. Noes 20. Page 3413.)
- In Assembly. Concurrence in Senate amendments pending.
- Read third time. Passed. Ordered to the Assembly. (Ayes 38. Noes 0. Page 2962.).
- Read second time. Ordered to third reading.
- Read third time and amended. Ordered to second reading.
- Read second time and amended. Ordered to third reading.
- From committee: Amend, and do pass as amended. (Ayes 6. Noes 0.) (June 11).
- Referred to Com. on ED.