State Phone-Free School Law
A state phone-free school law is legislation or an executive order that requires or directs public schools in a state to restrict student cell phone use, ranging from full bell-to-bell bans to guidance for local boards.
Also called state cell phone law, phone ban legislation
States differ widely: some mandate bell-to-bell bans by statute, some restrict only instructional time, some issue executive orders or non-binding guidance, and others leave the decision entirely to local school boards.
Where state law is silent or only advisory, the governing rule is local board policy — which is why district-level phone policies still matter even in states without a mandate.
Related terms
Bell-to-Bell Phone Ban
A bell-to-bell phone ban prohibits student cell phone use for the entire school day — from the first bell to the last — including passing periods, lunch, and study halls, not just during class.
Instructional-Time Phone Restriction
An instructional-time phone restriction prohibits cell phone use during class but may permit it during passing periods, lunch, or free periods — a narrower scope than a bell-to-bell ban.
Phone-Free School
A phone-free school is a campus where students cannot use personal cell phones during the school day, enforced through policy and a storage or locking method rather than relying on teacher-by-teacher discretion.