Bill Commons

CA AB 962

enacted

Pupil safety: comprehensive school safety plans: use of smartphones.

California · 2025-2026 Regular Session · lower

Quick answers

Did CA AB 962 pass?

Yes. CA AB 962 has been enacted into law as of 2025-10-03. Latest recorded action (2025-10-03): Chaptered by Secretary of State - Chapter 284, Statutes of 2025.

What is CA AB 962 about?

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.

Who sponsors CA AB 962?

Hoover is the primary sponsor of CA AB 962.

Description

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.

Introduced
2025-06-12
Latest action
2025-10-03 — Chaptered by Secretary of State - Chapter 284, Statutes of 2025.
Bill type
bill
Last updated

Subjects

Sponsors

  • Hooverauthor

Committees

Not provided by source.

Action timeline

  1. 2025-02-20

    Read first time. To print.

    reading-1

  2. 2025-02-21

    From printer. May be heard in committee March 23.

  3. 2025-03-10

    Referred to Com. on ED.

    referral-committee

  4. 2025-04-10

    From committee: Do pass. To Consent Calendar. (Ayes 9. Noes 0.) (April 9).

    committee-passage,committee-passage-favorable

  5. 2025-04-21

    Read second time. Ordered to Consent Calendar.

    reading-1,reading-2

  6. 2025-04-24

    Read third time. Passed. Ordered to the Senate. (Ayes 75. Noes 0. Page 1280.)

    passage,reading-1,reading-3

  7. 2025-04-24

    In Senate. Read first time. To Com. on RLS. for assignment.

    reading-1,referral-committee

  8. 2025-05-07

    Referred to Com. on ED.

    referral-committee

  9. 2025-06-12

    From committee: Amend, and do pass as amended. (Ayes 6. Noes 0.) (June 11).

    amendment-introduction,amendment-passage,committee-passage

  10. 2025-06-13

    Read second time and amended. Ordered to third reading.

    amendment-passage,reading-1,reading-2,reading-3

  11. 2025-09-04

    Read third time and amended. Ordered to second reading.

    amendment-passage,reading-1,reading-2,reading-3

  12. 2025-09-08

    Read second time. Ordered to third reading.

    reading-1,reading-2,reading-3

  13. 2025-09-12

    Read third time. Passed. Ordered to the Assembly. (Ayes 38. Noes 0. Page 2962.).

    passage,reading-1,reading-3

  14. 2025-09-12

    In Assembly. Concurrence in Senate amendments pending.

  15. 2025-09-13

    Senate amendments concurred in. To Engrossing and Enrolling. (Ayes 74. Noes 0. Page 3504.).

    amendment-passage,committee-passage,committee-passage-favorable

  16. 2025-09-13

    Joint Rules 61(a)(14) and 51(a)(4) suspended. (Ayes 59. Noes 20. Page 3413.)

  17. 2025-09-24

    Enrolled and presented to the Governor at 3 p.m.

    executive-receipt

  18. 2025-10-03

    Approved by the Governor.

    executive-signature

  19. 2025-10-03

    Chaptered by Secretary of State - Chapter 284, Statutes of 2025.

    became-law

Versions

  • 02/20/25 - Introduced — 2025-02-20Compare
  • 06/13/25 - Amended Senate — 2025-06-13Compare
  • 09/04/25 - Amended Senate — 2025-09-04Compare
  • 09/16/25 - Enrolled — 2025-09-16Compare
  • 10/03/25 - Chaptered — 2025-10-03Compare
  • AB962Compare
  • (document, no version)Compare

Documents

Votes

  • Do pass. To Consent Calendar.

    2025-04-09 · pass · 9-0

    Member-level votes (9)
    • Castillo: yes
    • Bonta: yes
    • Garcia: yes
    • Lowenthal: yes
    • Muratsuchi: yes
    • Patel: yes
    • Addis: yes
    • Hoover: yes
    • Alvarez: yes
  • AB 962 Hoover Consent Calendar Second Day

    2025-04-24 · pass · 75-0

    Member-level votes (79)
    • Ellis: yes
    • Garcia: yes
    • Hoover: yes
    • Tangipa: yes
    • Fong: yes
    • Ward: yes
    • Bains: yes
    • Berman: yes
    • Carrillo: yes
    • Pacheco: yes
    • Celeste Rodriguez: yes
    • Ransom: yes
    • Davies: yes
    • Sharp-Collins: yes
    • Alvarez: yes
    • Bennett: yes
    • Boerner: yes
    • Nguyen: yes
    • Soria: yes
    • Ta: yes
    • Ortega: yes
    • Gabriel: yes
    • Pellerin: yes
    • Krell: yes
    • Patterson: yes
    • Petrie-Norris: yes
    • Rivas: yes
    • Patel: yes
    • Lowenthal: yes
    • Kalra: yes
    • Blanca Rubio: yes
    • Ahrens: yes
    • Michelle Rodriguez: yes
    • Lee: yes
    • Flora: yes
    • Rogers: yes
    • Sanchez: yes
    • Zbur: yes
    • Jackson: yes
    • Irwin: yes
    • Caloza: yes
    • Bryan: yes
    • Wicks: yes
    • Hadwick: yes
    • McKinnor: yes
    • Stefani: yes
    • Ávila Farías: yes
    • Calderon: yes
    • Arambula: yes
    • Bonta: yes
    • Gipson: yes
    • Quirk-Silva: yes
    • Muratsuchi: yes
    • Schiavo: yes
    • Aguiar-Curry: yes
    • Solache: yes
    • Alanis: yes
    • DeMaio: yes
    • Addis: yes
    • Haney: yes
    • Castillo: yes
    • Schultz: yes
    • Dixon: yes
    • Bauer-Kahan: yes
    • Elhawary: yes
    • Jeff Gonzalez: yes
    • Valencia: yes
    • Ramos: yes
    • Connolly: yes
    • Macedo: yes
    • Hart: yes
    • Wallis: yes
    • Wilson: yes
    • Papan: yes
    • Mark González: yes
    • Gallagher: other
    • Chen: other
    • Lackey: other
    • Harabedian: other
  • Do pass as amended

    2025-06-11 · pass · 6-0

    Member-level votes (7)
    • Laird: yes
    • Cortese: yes
    • Pérez: yes
    • Cabaldon: yes
    • Choi: yes
    • Ochoa Bogh: yes
    • Gonzalez: other
  • 3rd Reading AB962 Hoover By Allen

    2025-09-12 · pass · 38-0

    Member-level votes (40)
    • McGuire: yes
    • Becker: yes
    • Cabaldon: yes
    • Caballero: yes
    • Weber Pierson: yes
    • McNerney: yes
    • Grayson: yes
    • Umberg: yes
    • Dahle: yes
    • Niello: yes
    • Pérez: yes
    • Jones: yes
    • Padilla: yes
    • Ochoa Bogh: yes
    • Cervantes: yes
    • Menjivar: yes
    • Wiener: yes
    • Wahab: yes
    • Laird: yes
    • Alvarado-Gil: yes
    • Stern: yes
    • Rubio: yes
    • Richardson: yes
    • Hurtado: yes
    • Reyes: yes
    • Blakespear: yes
    • Arreguín: yes
    • Strickland: yes
    • Seyarto: yes
    • Ashby: yes
    • Allen: yes
    • Smallwood-Cuevas: yes
    • Valladares: yes
    • Durazo: yes
    • Archuleta: yes
    • Grove: yes
    • Limón: yes
    • Cortese: yes
    • Choi: other
    • Gonzalez: other
  • AB 962 Hoover Concurrence in Senate Amendments

    2025-09-13 · pass · 74-0

    Member-level votes (80)
    • Ahrens: yes
    • Johnson: yes
    • Dixon: yes
    • Mark González: yes
    • Quirk-Silva: yes
    • Gipson: yes
    • Rogers: yes
    • Addis: yes
    • Ward: yes
    • Haney: yes
    • Hart: yes
    • Fong: yes
    • Calderon: yes
    • Wilson: yes
    • Carrillo: yes
    • Bains: yes
    • Ransom: yes
    • Soria: yes
    • Michelle Rodriguez: yes
    • Berman: yes
    • Valencia: yes
    • Wicks: yes
    • Celeste Rodriguez: yes
    • Arambula: yes
    • Connolly: yes
    • Schultz: yes
    • Bauer-Kahan: yes
    • Bennett: yes
    • Papan: yes
    • Schiavo: yes
    • Bonta: yes
    • Ávila Farías: yes
    • Aguiar-Curry: yes
    • Jeff Gonzalez: yes
    • Pacheco: yes
    • Boerner: yes
    • Alvarez: yes
    • Castillo: yes
    • Alanis: yes
    • Wallis: yes
    • Patterson: yes
    • Stefani: yes
    • Caloza: yes
    • Hoover: yes
    • Sharp-Collins: yes
    • Nguyen: yes
    • Ortega: yes
    • Solache: yes
    • Lowenthal: yes
    • Blanca Rubio: yes
    • Bryan: yes
    • Gallagher: yes
    • Petrie-Norris: yes
    • Harabedian: yes
    • Gabriel: yes
    • Ellis: yes
    • Macedo: yes
    • Davies: yes
    • Zbur: yes
    • DeMaio: yes
    • Pellerin: yes
    • Muratsuchi: yes
    • Hadwick: yes
    • Krell: yes
    • Irwin: yes
    • Tangipa: yes
    • Lackey: yes
    • Ramos: yes
    • Patel: yes
    • Kalra: yes
    • Sanchez: yes
    • Rivas: yes
    • Chen: yes
    • Flora: yes
    • Jackson: other
    • Elhawary: other
    • Lee: other
    • McKinnor: other
    • Garcia: other
    • Ta: other

Related bills

No related bills recorded for this bill.

Official source

Attribution

Data from openstates_bulk_csv, retrieved 2026-07-24T01:34:27.960412Z

Inspect retained evidence for changes recorded after evidence tracking began:

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