Students are no longer allowed to use cellphones, smartwatches and other personal communication devices throughout the school day, including during lunch and passing periods. They may see the Ten Commandments displayed in classrooms, and more parental consent is required before students can receive “medical, psychiatric and psychological treatment” on campus.
The sweeping changes come after lawmakers passed what state leaders have called “transformative” education laws during this year’s regular legislative session, which ended June 2.
Among them was House Bill 2, which increased state funding for public schools by about $8.4 billion. Nearly half of that funding will be spent on raises for educators and support staff, such as bus drivers, janitors and librarians. HB 2 also adjusts the state’s school finance system by creating new funding allotments for fixed costs and other expenses, which proponents have said could give school districts more spending flexibility.
Keep reading to learn about more of the major changes Texas lawmakers made to public education ahead of the 2025-26 school year.
Cellphones prohibited bell-to-bell
Under House Bill 1481, all public and charter school students in Texas are prohibited from using cellphones, smartwatches and other personal communication devices on campus throughout the school day.
During the legislative session, lawmakers suggested that districts could purchase pouches to store students’ devices during the school day or ask students to leave devices in their lockers or backpacks. Texas’ 2026-27 budget includes $20 million in grants to help districts implement the new law.
Gov. Greg Abbott signed HB 1481 into law June 20, giving school districts 90 days—until Sept. 18—to adopt new electronic device policies, including disciplinary measures for students who violate the cellphone ban.
“We want our kids to focus on academics, such as math, science and reading, and the reality is, these phones are a distraction. ... Schools cite growing incidents of cyberbullying due to these phones,” bill author Rep. Caroline Fairly, R-Amarillo, said in March.
HB 1481 includes exceptions for students with medical needs or special education accommodations and does not apply to devices supplied by school districts for academic purposes.
More parental consent required for student instruction, health care
Lawmakers passed a “parental bill of rights” during the legislative session, which they said was designed to allow “parents to make informed choices that align with their family’s values, and not the other way around.”
Under Senate Bill 12, parents must opt their children in for their children to receive instruction on sex education, reversing a previous rule allowing parents to opt out. Parents must also consent to their children receiving “medical, psychiatric and psychological treatment” at school, according to the bill.
On Sept. 4, bill author Sen. Brandon Creighton, R-Conroe, and bill sponsor Rep. Jeff Leach, R-Plano, sent a letter to the Texas Education Agency “regarding concerns with the implementation” of the new law. The legislators wrote that they were concerned some districts were taking an “all or nothing” approach to SB 12 and withholding band-aids or ice packs from students whose parents had not filled out consent forms.
Some districts in Community Impact’s coverage areas, including Frisco ISD and Leander ISD, posted announcements asking parents to provide consent for their students to receive “routine health services, like first aid or crisis response.”
“If you choose to withhold consent... of campus-based health-related services and your child becomes ill or sustains an injury during the school day, the campus nurse will not be permitted to assess or provide care—except in cases of a life‑threatening emergency,” the notice on LISD’s website reads.
The TEA published updated guidance for schools to comply with SB 12 on Sept. 8. The guidance specifies that “general caretaking,” such as wiping a bloody nose or offering a change of clothes after a child has an accident, must occur without active parental consent.
SB 12 also eliminates diversity, equity and inclusion, or DEI, programs and instruction at schools, including a prohibition on school-sponsored clubs related to gender identity or sexual orientation.
Parents, school boards have increased oversight of library materials
Under Senate Bill 13, parents can see records of all materials their children check out from a school library and may submit a list of items that their child is not allowed to access.
The bill also allows districts to form local “school library advisory councils” if at least 50 parents or 10% of the parents in the district—whichever is less—sign a petition requesting a council. The councils must have at least five members, most of whom are parents. Members can make recommendations about books to add to or remove from a school’s library, according to the bill.
Any local resident can submit complaints about books in a district’s library under SB 13.
Teachers’ disciplinary authority expanded
House Bill 6 gives public school teachers more discretion to remove students from the classroom if they are repeatedly disruptive or threaten the safety of others. The change comes after nearly half of Texas public school teachers cited discipline issues as a top workplace challenge in 2022, according to the TEA.
“A lot of the problems we see with our kids in high school is because they did not have consequences, none whatsoever, when they were younger,” Leach, who wrote the bill, said in April. “This bill restores the rights of our educators and our teachers, in conjunction with parents, to provide those consequences and to provide the necessary controls.”
The law allows schools to suspend students of any age who engage in “repeated or significant” disruptions, reversing a 2017 state law that generally prohibited schools from suspending students in pre-K through second grade. If students in kindergarten through third grade are sent home for behavioral issues, schools must provide documentation explaining their decision, according to the bill.
Schools can also place students in an in-school suspension for as long as they see fit under HB 6. State law previously mandated that students could not be suspended for more than three school days, whether they were inside a school building or at home.
The three-day time limit on out-of-school suspensions remains unchanged.
Schools displaying donated Ten Commandments posters
Senate Bill 10 requires that schools display donated posters listing the Ten Commandments “in a conspicuous place” in classrooms. The posters must be at least 16 by 20 inches, be legible to “a person with average vision” and include no text other than the Ten Commandments.
Schools must accept and display donated posters, but they are not required to spend district funds to purchase or print copies of the commandments, according to the bill.
Eleven school districts are blocked from displaying the Ten Commandments under an Aug. 20 preliminary injunction. Attorney General Ken Paxton directed all other Texas school districts to display donated copies of the Ten Commandments and appealed the ruling to a federal appeals court.
Proponents of SB 10, including Paxton and Republican state lawmakers, have argued that seeing the Ten Commandments on a daily basis will help Texas students better understand U.S. history and learn about morality.
Some religious scholars stressed the importance of teaching students about religion in an “appropriate educational context,” while Democratic lawmakers have expressed concerns that non-Christian students will feel left out or be bullied by their peers for not following the Ten Commandments.
Optional prayer allowed on campus
This year, legislators approved two new laws related to prayer during the school day. Senate Bill 11 allows school districts to set aside time for students and staff to pray or read religious texts during the school day. Districts are not required to approve prayer periods, nor are students and staff required to participate.
The law requires students and staff that want to pray or read religious texts during school to fill out a consent form before doing so. Schools are not allowed to read prayers or religious texts over a school’s loudspeaker, according to the bill.
Additionally, Senate Bill 965 codifies the right of public school employees to “engage in religious speech or prayer while on duty.” That right may not be infringed upon by the school or state government, the bill states.
