Back to School: What to Know About Cell Phone Bans in K–12

The first state-wide policy took effect two years ago.
Back to School: What to Know About Cell Phone Bans in K–12
Mobile phones are locked into 'Yondr' pouches before people enter an exhibition at the Brooklyn Museum on Nov. 22, 2019, in New York City. Yondr creates phone-free spaces for artists, educators, organizations and individuals. Angela Weiss/AFP via Getty Images
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The majority of U.S. K-12 students have already returned to the classroom or will soon do so this academic year, with limited access to their phones on public school grounds.

Following busy legislative sessions across the nation in recent months and years with respect to education laws, 30 states and the District of Columbia now have laws or regulations in place prohibiting or limiting student phone use in schools, according to a review of state legislature websites.

Aaron Gifford
Aaron Gifford
Author
Aaron Gifford has written for several daily newspapers, magazines, and specialty publications and also served as a federal background investigator and Medicare fraud analyst. He graduated from the University at Buffalo and is based in Upstate New York.