# Kansas SB 281: House Substitute for Substitute for SB 281 by Committee on Education - Requiring school districts to prohibit the use of personal electronic communication devices during school hours, prohibiting any employee of a school district from using social media to directly communicate with any student for official school purposes.

Kansas SB 281, House Substitute for Substitute for SB 281 by Committee on Education - Requiring school districts to prohibit the use of personal electronic communication devices during school hours, prohibiting any employee of a school district from using social media to directly communicate with any student for official school purposes., is a 2025–2026 Regular Session Senate bill sponsored by Committee on Ways and Means; status failed, last action 2026-04-10 (Died in Committee) (as of 2026-10-11).

- Canonical: https://policyrisk.com/state-bill/KS-SB281-2025-2026
- As of: 2026-10-11
- Plain-text twin of the page above; the HTML and this file carry the same facts.

## Facts
- Bill: Kansas SB 281
- State: Kansas
- Session: 2025–2026 Regular Session
- Title: House Substitute for Substitute for SB 281 by Committee on Education - Requiring school districts to prohibit the use of personal electronic communication devices during school hours, prohibiting any employee of a school district from using social media to directly communicate with any student for official school purposes.
- Status: failed
- Chamber: Senate
- Introduced: 2025-02-27
- Last action: 2026-04-10, Died in Committee
- Sponsor: Committee on Ways and Means
- Cosponsors: 1
- Subjects: senate committee on education, house committee on education, senate committee on government efficiency
- Touches household money: no
- Roll calls: 4 (230 yes, 96 no in all)
- Economic provisions PRIA read: 0

## Summary

No summary available.

## Bill overview

No economic impacts identified for this bill.

## Sponsors and cosponsors

- Sponsor: Committee on Ways and Means
- Cosponsor: Committee on Education

## Roll call votes

| Date | Chamber | Motion | Result | Yes | No | Other |
| --- | --- | --- | --- | --- | --- | --- |
| 2026-04-23 | Senate | Yea: 75 Nay: 48 | pass | 75 | 48 |   |
| 2026-04-23 | Senate | Yea: 40 Nay: 0 | pass | 40 | 0 |   |
| 2026-02-17 | House | Final Action - Substitute passed as amended | pass | 75 | 48 |   |
| 2025-03-20 | Senate | Emergency Final Action - Substitute passed | pass | 40 | 0 |   |

## Actions (31)

- 2026-04-10: Died in Committee (Senate)
- 2026-02-18: Ruled materially changed and referred to Senate Committee on Education (Senate)
- 2026-02-17: Final Action - Substitute passed as amended; Yea 75, Nay 48, Absent 2 (House)
- 2026-02-16: Committee of the Whole - Committee Report be adopted recommending substitute bill be passed (House)
- 2026-02-16: Committee of the Whole - Motion to Amend - Offered by Rep. Jill Ward (House)
- 2026-02-16: Committee of the Whole - Amendment by Rep. Jill Ward was adopted (House)
- 2026-02-16: Committee of the Whole - Motion to Amend - Offered by Rep. Brett Fairchild (House)
- 2026-02-16: Committee of the Whole - Amendment by Rep. Brett Fairchild was adopted (House)
- 2026-02-16: Committee of the Whole - Motion to Amend - Offered by Rep. Kyle McNorton (House)
- 2026-02-16: Committee of the Whole - Amendment by Rep. Kyle McNorton was rejected (House)
- 2026-02-16: Committee of the Whole - Motion to Amend - Offered by Rep. Kyle McNorton (House)
- 2026-02-16: Committee of the Whole - Amendment by Rep. Kyle McNorton was adopted (House)
- 2026-02-16: Committee of the Whole - Motion to Amend - Offered by Rep. Jerry Stogsdill (House)
- 2026-02-16: Committee of the Whole - Amendment by Rep. Jerry Stogsdill was rejected (House)
- 2026-02-16: Motion to rise and report adopted. Bill remains on General Orders. (House)
- 2026-02-16: Committee of the Whole - Motion to Amend - Offered by Rep. Carolyn Caiharr (House)
- 2026-02-16: Committee of the Whole - Amendment by Rep. Carolyn Caiharr was rejected (House)
- 2026-02-16: Committee of the Whole - Motion to Amend - Offered by Rep. Suzanne Wikle (House)
- 2026-02-16: Committee of the Whole - Amendment by Rep. Suzanne Wikle was rejected (House)
- 2026-02-16: Committee of the Whole - Substitute bill be passed as amended (House)
- 2026-02-12: Committee Report recommending substitute bill be passed by House Committee on Education (House)
- 2025-03-24: Received and Introduced (House)
- 2025-03-24: Referred to House Committee on Education (House)
- 2025-03-20: Committee of the Whole - Committee Report be adopted recommending substitute bill be passed (Senate)
- 2025-03-20: Committee of the Whole - Substitute bill be passed (Senate)
- 2025-03-20: Emergency Final Action - Substitute passed; Yea 40, Nay 0 (Senate)
- 2025-03-19: Committee Report recommending substitute bill be passed by Senate Committee on Government Efficiency (Senate)
- 2025-03-13: Hearing: Thursday, March 13, 2025, 9:30 AM — Room 144-S (Senate)
- 2025-03-03: Withdrawn from Senate Committee on Government Efficiency; Referred to Senate Committee on Government Efficiency (Senate)
- 2025-02-28: Referred to Senate Committee on Education (Senate)
- 2025-02-27: Introduced (Senate)

## Bill text

- As Introduced: [PDF](https://www.kslegislature.gov/b2025_26/bills/download/?apn=b2025_26/year2/ready_for_publication/sb_281/sb281_00_0000.pdf)
- H Sub for: [PDF](https://www.kslegislature.gov/b2025_26/bills/download/?apn=b2025_26/year2/ready_for_publication/sb_281/sb281_02_0000.pdf)
- Sub for: [PDF](https://www.kslegislature.gov/b2025_26/bills/download/?apn=b2025_26/year2/ready_for_publication/sb_281/sb281_01_0000.pdf)
- {As Amended by House Committee of the Whole}: [PDF](https://www.kslegislature.gov/b2025_26/bills/download/?apn=b2025_26/year2/ready_for_publication/sb_281/sb281_03_0000.pdf)

## Related bills

- SB 430: Adding mitragynine to schedule I of the uniform controlled substances act and reconciling multiple amendments to certain statutes in the Kansas criminal code. (signed)
- SB 82: Providing tax credits for expenditures for lockable gun and ammunition storage and the retail sale of higher ethanol blends of fuel, discontinuing the tax cred… (signed)
- SB 300: Providing for the apportionment of business income by manufacturers of alcoholic liquor depending on whether the taxpayer is a qualifying Kansas investor or a… (signed)
- HB 2029: Reconciling multiple amendments to certain statutes. (signed)
- HB 2018: Senate Substitute for HB 2018 by Committee on Federal and State Affairs - Creating the crime of interference with the conduct of a religious assembly, providin… (became law)
- HB 2530: Substitute for HB 2530 by Committee on Education - Providing for the transferability of credentials earned through ACT workkeys career readiness assessments to… (failed)

## Sources
- [As Introduced (PDF)](https://www.kslegislature.gov/b2025_26/bills/download/?apn=b2025_26/year2/ready_for_publication/sb_281/sb281_00_0000.pdf)
- [H Sub for (PDF)](https://www.kslegislature.gov/b2025_26/bills/download/?apn=b2025_26/year2/ready_for_publication/sb_281/sb281_02_0000.pdf)
- [Sub for (PDF)](https://www.kslegislature.gov/b2025_26/bills/download/?apn=b2025_26/year2/ready_for_publication/sb_281/sb281_01_0000.pdf)
- [{As Amended by House Committee of the Whole} (PDF)](https://www.kslegislature.gov/b2025_26/bills/download/?apn=b2025_26/year2/ready_for_publication/sb_281/sb281_03_0000.pdf)

## Related
- [SB 430: Adding mitragynine to schedule I of the uniform controlled substances act and r…](https://policyrisk.com/state-bill/KS-SB430-2025-2026)
- [SB 82: Providing tax credits for expenditures for lockable gun and ammunition storage…](https://policyrisk.com/state-bill/KS-SB82-2025-2026)
- [SB 300: Providing for the apportionment of business income by manufacturers of alcoholi…](https://policyrisk.com/state-bill/KS-SB300-2025-2026)
- [HB 2029: Reconciling multiple amendments to certain statutes.](https://policyrisk.com/state-bill/KS-HB2029-2025-2026)
- [HB 2018: Senate Substitute for HB 2018 by Committee on Federal and State Affairs - Creat…](https://policyrisk.com/state-bill/KS-HB2018-2025-2026)
- [HB 2530: Substitute for HB 2530 by Committee on Education - Providing for the transferab…](https://policyrisk.com/state-bill/KS-HB2530-2025-2026)
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- [Kansas state hub](https://policyrisk.com/states/kansas)
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Source: PRIA, https://policyrisk.com/state-bill/KS-SB281-2025-2026 (as of 2026-10-11).