Smart Devices

Starting this fall, every K-12 district in Missouri, including charter schools, will need a written policy prohibiting students from using personal devices during the school day, with some circumstantial exceptions.

Implemented several years before the rise of smartphones, the old policy was actually more strict, only making exceptions for high school students at lunch. They can now use devices in between classes as well.

The new website includes a policy FAQ, toolkit and examples that school districts can use to design their own policies to restrict personal devices from being used on school grounds during the school day.

After proposed legislation failed to pass a senate committee, an executive order made Oregon the latest state to restrict student use of cellphones during the school day, requiring districts to write their own policies.

To comply with the state's Focus Act, school board members at a district in northern Alabama approved a policy outlining what the instructional day is, what's not allowed and what the exceptions are.

A new state law, passed with near unanimous support last week from state legislators, has exemptions for special circumstances and doesn’t cover non-instructional times of the school day.

Legislation signed by Gov. Greg Abbott last week leaves it up to individual school districts to establish standards for storing cell phones during class and set discipline procedures for those who break the rules.

In response to problems with inappropriate contact, a new law in Kentucky requires school districts to designate a traceable communications tool as the exclusive means by which employees may reach out to students.

One year after implementing phone restrictions, a Washington state school district has seen improvements in attendance and discipline. Teachers have seen higher engagement, while student reactions are divided.

The Johnston County school board has prohibited both teachers and students from using their cellphones during class. This drew a backlash from some teachers, while a board member said principals asked for such a policy.

In separate interviews, representatives from the Massachusetts Coalition for Phone Free Schools and the Johns Hopkins Center for Safe and Healthy Schools discuss their views on competing ideas behind phone restrictions.

An impending report from the Governor’s Advisory Council for Student Safety and Well-Being will include guidance on how schools can implement student phone policies, as well as examples of legitimate exemptions.

A venture fund within Tulane University's Innovation Institute will lead a $1 million funding round for a New Orleans-based company Hilight, whose online tool proposes to save schools up to $25,000 to replace lost staff.

Sixty-three percent of teachers say that the amount of time students spend on their cellphones has a very negative impact on their learning, compared with just 2 percent of middle and high schoolers who agree.

A movement that started at Harvard University aims to help students wean themselves off smartphones incrementally, recommending that they delete their social media accounts one by one.

Effective July 2026, elementary and middle school students in Georgia will not be allowed to have personal communication devices from the first bell to the last, with exceptions for students with IEPs or medical plans.

While many educators and parents have supported and attested to the efficacy of keeping smartphones out of schools, some educational organizations are warning Maine lawmakers not to overreach.

A bill heading to Missouri Gov. Mike Kehoe’s desk will require school districts to draft their own policies enacting a total cellphone ban for students during the school day, starting in the fall.