S10685 / A11669 — Fostering Optimal Classroom Use of Screens (FOCUS) Act

The active FOCUS Act proposal would require schools to provide no school-issued devices to Pre-K–5 pupils and generally prohibit their access to internet-enabled/electronic devices on school grounds, subject to statutory exceptions.

School-issued devices

Jurisdiction: New York · State / DC
Policy status: Proposed
Implementation phase: Proposed
Requirement: Proposed / pending
Grades: Pre-K through grade 5
Audience: Schools
Learning evidence: No student-learning claim
Instrument: Proposed bill

Dates & implementation

Proposal only. Official page lists Senate Rules Committee as of October 4, 2026. Enactment-contingent dates are not current requirements.

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

Proposed §37 preserves technology inherently needed for learning objectives, IEP/504 and accessibility uses, and translation. Proposed §33 preserves conversational AI as assistive technology for users with disabilities.

Funding & support

Policy-specific support

No enacted appropriation is established by this pending bill. Proposed registry fees would support administration if enacted.

Read funding source

Evidence & source location

S10685 proposed Education Law §31(1); construction exceptions in §37

New York Senate Bill S10685 — FOCUS Acthttps://www.nysenate.gov/legislation/bills/2025/S10685 ↗

Active proposal as of Oct. 3, 2026; Senate version in Rules and Assembly companion A11669 in Assembly Education. This is not current law.

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 the current S10685 bill text, operative section and broad exceptions in proposed section37. Official status remains Senate Rules Committee; the proposal is not law.

Record ID: NY-2026-FOCUS-PK5

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