Phone-Free School Laws
Across All 50 States

Full statewide ban. No student may possess a wireless communication device during the instructional day unless turned off and stored off-person.

Requires school districts to limit wireless communication device use during the school day and restrict student access to social media platforms.

Full statewide ban. Districts must submit phone policies to the Division of Elementary and Secondary Education for review and approval.

Requires school districts to develop and adopt a policy to limit or prohibit smartphone use by students while at school. Policy must be updated every 5 years.

The first state to enact a statewide ban. Students may not use wireless devices during instructional time except when directed by a teacher for educational purposes.

No K–8 student may access personal electronic devices during the school day. High school policies set by districts.

Elementary and middle school students prohibited from using phones during the school day. High school students prohibited during instructional time.

Each school corporation must adopt a wireless communication device policy prohibiting use during instructional time, with exceptions for educational use and emergencies.

School districts must adopt policies restricting student use of personal electronic devices during classroom instructional time.

Local boards of education must adopt a policy prohibiting student use of personal telecommunications devices during the school day, with specific exceptions.

No student shall possess, on their person, an electronic telecommunication device throughout the instructional day. Devices must be turned off and stowed.

School districts must implement a wireless communications device policy prohibiting student use during instructional time on school grounds.

Full school-day ban. Students prohibited from displaying or using electronic personal communications devices from the beginning to the end of the school day, including meals, breaks, and study halls.

Schools must adopt a policy prohibiting the use of electronic communication devices by students while on school property or attending a school function.

Strengthens existing law requiring school district boards to adopt policies on student possession and use of electronic devices on school property.

School boards must develop a policy prohibiting all personal communication device use from the first bell to the dismissal bell, with approved exceptions for medical, disability, or language proficiency needs.

Requires the NJ Commissioner of Education to develop policies prohibiting student phone use on school grounds during the school day. Age-appropriate and grade-level differentiated guidelines required.

Statewide ban announced as part of the state budget agreement. Full bell-to-bell phone ban for all public schools.

School governing bodies must establish a wireless communication policy prohibiting student use during instructional time.

All personal electronic communication devices must be silenced or turned off, securely locked away, and inaccessible to students during instructional time.

Each school district must adopt a policy prohibiting all cellular telephone use during the instructional day, with exceptions for emergencies and emergency management plans.

Each school district must adopt a policy prohibiting students from using cell phones and personal electronic devices while on campus from bell to bell. Policy must include disciplinary procedures.

Every Oregon school district must have a policy prohibiting the use of personal electronic devices by students from the start to the end of regular instructional hours.

School policy must include a prohibition on physical access to personal electronic devices by students during the school day.

To receive state funds, school districts must implement a policy prohibiting access to personal electronic communication devices during the school day.

Local boards of education must adopt a policy prohibiting students from using wireless communication devices during instructional time, with limited exceptions.

School district boards must adopt, implement, and comply with a written policy prohibiting student use of personal communication devices while on school property during the school day.

Prohibits students from using a cellphone, smart watch, or emerging technology during classroom hours. Local education agencies may create exemptions.

K–12 public school cellphone use banned during the school day.

Establishes a definition of 'cell phone-free education' and directs schools to eliminate or severely restrict phone use during instructional time.

West Virginia enacted legislation restricting student cellphone use in schools.

Districts must adopt a wireless communication device policy prohibiting students from using non-school-issued devices during instructional time by July 1, 2026.