SB 948 — Screen Free Schools Act

SB 948 would prohibit individually issued devices in grades 6-8, allow shared classroom devices, and require school-owned/contracted devices to remain on campus.

School-issued devices

Jurisdiction: North Carolina · State / DC
Policy status: Proposed
Implementation phase: Proposed
Requirement: Proposed / pending
Grades: 6-8
Audience: Multiple
Learning evidence: No student-learning claim
Instrument: Proposed bill

Dates & implementation

Filed April 30, 2026; referred to Appropriations/Base Budget May 4, 2026. Proposal only; enactment-contingent provisions are not current law.

A legal effective date can precede school implementation. This record documents policy intent or requirements; it does not independently confirm delivery in every classroom.

Exceptions & instructional scope

Retains teacher authorization for educational purposes or emergencies, IEP/504 accommodations and documented medical-condition exceptions.

Funding & support

Support provision; funding not confirmed

Proposes $930 million recurring for K–5 teacher assistants and $4.3 million recurring for grants under GS115C-269.31. Proposed funding is not an enacted award.

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Evidence & source location

SB948 Edition1 §2, proposed GS115C-76.100(b)–(c); §§3–5

North Carolina SB 948, Edition 1 — Screen Free Schools Acthttps://www.ncleg.gov/sessions/2025/bills/senate/html/s948v1.html ↗

Proposal only. Latest listed action: re-referred to Senate Appropriations/Base Budget on May 4, 2026.

Review history

Reviewed against official sources

Source availability checked Oct 4, 2026: Source reopened. This is separate from verification of the policy claim below.

Source review date recorded in database: 2026-10-04

2026-10-03 — Carried forward from the source-linked baseline; topic, grade and evidence-type inventory reviewed. Individual source was not re-opened in this update. 2026-10-04 — Substantive source review: Reviewed SB948 Edition1 §§2–5, including grade-specific screen limits, devices, homework, exceptions and proposed appropriations. Current committee inventory retains the bill as a proposal.

Record ID: NC-2026-SB948-68DEVICE

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