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.
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 known as: 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.
Phone-free school laws by state (2026)