Every E-Rate school in the country works to the same federal CIPA baseline. What changes from state to state is the layer on top: a state filtering statute, a phone law, a social media rule or a student data law.
This hub sorts all 50 state guides by the type of rule each state adds, so you can see what applies to your district at a glance and open the full guide when you need the detail.
The Children's Internet Protection Act applies to schools and libraries that receive E-Rate discounts for internet access or internal connections. It does not change at state lines, so it is the floor every state guide starts from.
A filter that blocks or filters visual depictions that are obscene, child pornography or harmful to minors, on computers used by minors.
A written policy covering minors' access to inappropriate material, safety in email and chat, hacking, and disclosure of minors' personal data.
The policy is adopted after reasonable public notice and at least one public hearing or meeting.
Schools monitor minors' online activities and teach online behavior, social networking safety and cyberbullying awareness.
New to the federal rules? Start with what CIPA is and who must comply, then see how it ties to E-Rate funding and CIPA certification.
Most state laws that touch school internet use fall into four groups. Many states have more than one, so each state below is placed by its most distinctive rule, with its second rule listed on its tile.
A state law that requires a filter or a filter-backed policy, often whether or not the school takes E-Rate.
22 states in this hubLaws that require districts to block or restrict student social media on school internet or school devices.
5 states in this hubLimits on personal phones during instructional time or the whole school day, with set exceptions.
16 states in this hubRules on what vendors may do with student data and, in some states, when school devices may be monitored.
7 states in this hubThese states write a filter, a filter-backed policy or a set internet policy process into state law. Where the law applies regardless of E-Rate, even a school that skips E-Rate still has a filtering duty.
These laws reach straight into filter settings. Most pair a block with a teacher-directed exception, so the filter needs a clean way to open a platform for a lesson and keep a record of it.
See how districts set this up in practice in social media filtering for schools.
In these states the filter standard comes from CIPA, and the newest state rule is about personal phones. Phone laws rarely set filter categories, but they push more student browsing onto school devices.
| Phone law pattern | Examples from our state guides | What it means for the network |
|---|---|---|
| Instructional time only | Michigan, North Carolina, Tennessee, Wisconsin, Delaware, Iowa (class time), Nevada, New Mexico, Oregon | Lunch and passing periods may still see phones on student Wi-Fi, so the student policy applies there. |
| Whole school day, bell to bell | Indiana from 2026, Missouri, Virginia, Utah from 2026, Arkansas, Kansas, Maine, New Hampshire, North Dakota, Oklahoma, Vermont | Fewer phones on Wi-Fi, more learning on school devices. Filter coverage of those devices matters more. |
| Grade-based rules | Florida elementary and middle, Georgia K-8, Hawaii by school level | Grade-band filter groups make it easier to match the device rule. |
| Policy required, content local | Colorado, Minnesota, New Jersey, Washington, Alaska, Idaho, Wyoming | The board sets the rule, so IT settings should follow whatever the policy says. |
Filters and monitoring tools often receive usernames tied to browsing records. In these states, that makes vendor contracts, data terms and monitoring notices a core part of compliance.
| Question to settle | Why it matters | Where it comes up |
|---|---|---|
| Is our filter vendor an operator or contractor under state law? | Triggers contract terms, operator lists or a Parents' Bill of Rights | California, Illinois, New York, Washington, Michigan, Tennessee, Connecticut, Delaware, Montana, Arkansas, Hawaii, Maine, Nebraska, Nevada, New Hampshire, Oregon, Vermont, Kentucky (cloud providers) |
| Which monitoring features need an exception and a notice? | Some states limit browsing, location, camera and keystroke access | Ohio, Minnesota |
| Do filter logs count as student records? | Sets retention and who may see them | Wisconsin, Massachusetts, and FERPA everywhere |
| Does a parent get access to activity data? | Utah requires a parent-accessible monitoring system from July 1, 2026 | Utah |
For the federal side of the same question, read our guide to student data privacy and web filtering under FERPA.
Use this as a map, not a final answer. Each row links to the full state guide, which explains the law, the dates and what to keep on file.
| State | Own filter or policy statute | Main state rule beyond CIPA | Full guide |
|---|---|---|---|
| Alabama | Policy rule | FOCUS Act Internet safety policy with social media rule, instructional day phones | Alabama |
| Alaska | CIPA | HB 57 district phone policies | Alaska |
| Arizona | Yes | A.R.S. 34-502 filter mandate, A.R.S. 15-120.05 social media and devices | Arizona |
| Arkansas | Yes | Ark. Code 6-21-107 blocking system, Act 122 Bell to Bell, No Cell, 6-18-109 student data | Arkansas |
| California | CIPA | SOPIPA, Ed Code 49073.1 and 49073.6, AB 3216 phones | California |
| Colorado | Yes | C.R.S. 22-87 internet safety policy, HB25-1135 phones | Colorado |
| Connecticut | CIPA | Public Act 16-189 student data law for contractors, phones left to local boards | Connecticut |
| Delaware | CIPA | Student Data Privacy Protection Act, SB 106 phones, Title 29 library filter act | Delaware |
| Florida | CIPA | HB 379 social media block, HB 1105 phones | Florida |
| Georgia | Yes | O.C.G.A. 20-2-324 with SB 351, HB 340 K-8 phones | Georgia |
| Hawaii | CIPA | Board of Education Policy 301-11 phones, Act 40 student online privacy | Hawaii |
| Idaho | State funds | Idaho Code 33-132 filters tied to state money, SB 1032 device policies, 33-133 student data | Idaho |
| Illinois | CIPA | SOPPA, internet safety teaching, SB 2427 phones | Illinois |
| Indiana | Posted policy | IC 20-26-5-40.5 posted policy, SEA 185 and SEA 78 devices | Indiana |
| Iowa | CIPA | HF 782 class-time phone policies, SF 496 library materials | Iowa |
| Kansas | Yes | K.S.A. 75-2589 Kansas Children's Internet Protection Act, HB 2299 bell-to-bell, Student Data Privacy Act | Kansas |
| Kentucky | Yes | KRS 156.675 filtering with 2025 social media rule, KRS 158.165 phones | Kentucky |
| Louisiana | Yes | R.S. 17:100.7 harmful material filtering and parent notices, Act 313 phones | Louisiana |
| Maine | CIPA | 2026 bell-to-bell phone rule, Student Information Privacy Act | Maine |
| Maryland | CIPA | Phone-Free Schools Act with social media rule | Maryland |
| Massachusetts | Policy rule | c. 71 s. 93 internet safety policy, s. 37O cyberbullying | Massachusetts |
| Michigan | CIPA | HB 4141 phones, Public Act 368 student data | Michigan |
| Minnesota | Yes | 125B.15 filtering, 13.32 device monitoring limits | Minnesota |
| Mississippi | Vendor duty | HB 1315 blocking duty for digital resource vendors, HB 1126 platform law | Mississippi |
| Missouri | Yes | RSMo 182.827 filter or policy, SB 68 phones | Missouri |
| Montana | CIPA | Pupil Online Personal Information Protection Act, HB 234 obscenity changes, local phone rules | Montana |
| Nebraska | CIPA | LB 140 device policies, Student Online Personal Protection Act | Nebraska |
| Nevada | CIPA | SB 444 device limits in class, NRS 388 school service provider rules | Nevada |
| New Hampshire | Policy rule | RSA 194:3-d network use policy, HB 2 bell-to-bell phones, RSA 189:68-a student data | New Hampshire |
| New Jersey | CIPA | 2026 phone-free schools law, social media teaching | New Jersey |
| New Mexico | CIPA | SB 11 device policies for instructional time | New Mexico |
| New York | CIPA | Education Law 2-d and Part 121, Ed Law 2803 devices | New York |
| North Carolina | CIPA | HB 959 social media block and phone limits | North Carolina |
| North Dakota | CIPA | HB 1160 full-day phone storage, HB 1205 library collections, board data policy | North Dakota |
| Ohio | CIPA | SB 29 device monitoring limits, R.C. 3313.753 phones | Ohio |
| Oklahoma | CIPA | SB 139 and HB 1276 bell-to-bell phones, 2013 student data act | Oklahoma |
| Oregon | CIPA | Executive Order 25-09 phones, OSIPA student data | Oregon |
| Pennsylvania | Yes | Act 197 Child Internet Protection Act | Pennsylvania |
| Rhode Island | Filter policy | 16-21.6-1 model filtering policy with public unblock record, 2026 phone-free day | Rhode Island |
| South Carolina | Library computers | S.C. Code 10-1-205, budget proviso on phones | South Carolina |
| South Dakota | Yes | SDCL 22-24-55 filtering, published policy and school board appeal | South Dakota |
| Tennessee | Yes | TCA 49-1-221 acceptable use with filtering, HB 932 phones | Tennessee |
| Texas | Device filter | SCOPE Act device rules, SB 1893 apps, HB 1481 phones | Texas |
| Utah | Yes | 53G-7-1002 funding condition, SB 88 parent monitoring and allowlist mode | Utah |
| Vermont | CIPA | Act 72 phone-free schools and school social media limit, 9 V.S.A. 2443 student privacy | Vermont |
| Virginia | Yes | 22.1-70.2 filtering and acceptable use, bell-to-bell phones | Virginia |
| Washington | Policy review | RCW 28A.650.045 yearly review, SUPER Act | Washington |
| West Virginia | Board rule | Policy 2460 filtering, bypass ban and supervision, W. Va. Code 18-2-46 phones | West Virginia |
| Wisconsin | CIPA | 2025 instructional time phone law, s. 118.125 pupil records | Wisconsin |
| Wyoming | CIPA | SF0035 phone and smart device policies, state data security guidelines | Wyoming |
The same four questions sort almost any new state bill. Ask them before you change a filter setting or sign a contract.
Public districts, charters, private schools, libraries or staff. Several state laws reach staff devices or charters by name.
CIPA is. Many state laws are not, so a school that skips E-Rate can still have a state filtering duty.
Filter statutes and social media laws do. Phone laws and data laws usually change policy and contracts instead.
Many recent laws give a policy due date, such as July 1, 2026, or a first school year. Put it on the board calendar.
Some laws link compliance to state funds, as in Arizona, Idaho and Utah. Others rely on penalties or liability shields.
Some platform laws for minors have been challenged in court. Check the current status before you plan around one.
Run this once a year before the E-Rate filing window, then open your state guide for the state items. Our full CIPA compliance checklist goes deeper on the federal side.
Obscene, child pornography and harmful to minors content blocked for every student group, on and off campus.
Internet safety policy covers all CIPA topics, with public notice and meeting records on file.
If your state has its own filter or policy law, each clause is matched to a setting or a document.
Student social media restricted where state law requires it, with a teacher request route.
Board phone policy adopted by the state deadline, and school devices filtered to match.
Filter and monitoring contracts meet state student data law, with retention periods set.
Where state law limits device monitoring, each feature is tied to an exception and the notice it needs.
Policies posted or sent to families where your state requires it, as in Indiana, Colorado, Arizona and South Dakota.
Certification filed on time, or Form 479 through a consortium, with copies kept for 10 years.
Writing or updating the policy? Use our CIPA internet safety policy guide and the acceptable use policy guide for schools.
The laws describe harms and platforms, not category names. A category database turns those descriptions into settings you can show an auditor.
No. CIPA applies to every school and library that takes E-Rate discounts for internet access or internal connections, in every state. State laws add duties on top of it.
Across all 50 states, 15 have statutes requiring a filter or a filter-backed policy: Arizona, Arkansas, Colorado, Georgia, Idaho, Kansas, Kentucky, Louisiana, Minnesota, Missouri, Pennsylvania, South Dakota, Tennessee, Utah and Virginia.
Texas requires a filter before devices go home, and South Carolina covers school library computers. Rhode Island requires a published filtering policy, West Virginia uses a Board rule, and Mississippi puts the duty on vendors.
Often, yes. Laws such as A.R.S. 34-502, Ark. Code 6-21-107, C.R.S. 22-87, K.S.A. 75-2589, Act 197, SDCL 22-24-55 and Virginia Code 22.1-70.2 apply whether or not the school takes E-Rate. Idaho ties filters to state general fund money. CIPA applies only through E-Rate.
Usually not. Most phone laws limit personal device use and do not set filter categories. They move more student internet use onto school devices, which stay under the CIPA filter.
Florida and North Carolina require districts to prevent student social media access on school internet unless a teacher directs it. Kentucky blocks social media a teacher has not authorized on school technology, and Alabama's Internet safety policy must prohibit it on board-owned devices unless a teacher directs it.
Georgia covers school-issued devices, Arizona requires restrictions, and Maryland bars access during the school day.
Yes. Ohio SB 29 and Minnesota Statutes 13.32 limit access to and monitoring of school-issued devices, with exceptions such as compliance with law. Map each monitoring feature to an exception and its notice.
No. It is a plain-language summary for school IT and compliance staff. Check the current statute text and confirm your duties with district counsel and your E-Rate consultant.
Not legal advice. This hub summarizes federal CIPA and selected state laws in our own words, for general information only. Laws, budgets and court rulings change, and some of the bills mentioned may have moved since our last check. Confirm current law with district counsel, your state education agency and your E-Rate consultant before acting.
Tell us which state you are in and what your board has adopted. We will show how our CIPA category coverage and the hosted CIPA filter pilot fit your state rules on top of CIPA.