Arkansas phone-free school law (2026): Arkansas codified a bell-to-bell statewide ban after a 2024 pouch pilot, with policies approved by the Department of Education. Here's what administrators need to know about compliance, scope, and enforcement.
Arkansas has a statewide bell-to-bell phone-free school law in effect. Under SB 142 / Act 122 (2025) — "Bell to Bell, No Cell" — signed by Gov. Sarah Huckabee Sanders 2025-02-20 — every public school in Arkansas must keep student personal devices off and out of reach for the entire school day. Effective 2025–26 school year, Arkansas now joins the growing majority of U.S. states with a statutory ban on classroom phone use.
What Arkansas's Phone-Free School Law Requires
- • Statute: Act 122 ("Bell to Bell, No Cell"), signed Feb 20, 2025
- • Scope: Bell-to-bell prohibition statewide
- • Districts submit local policies to ADE for approval
- • Builds on 2024 phone-pouch pilot grant program
- • Effective: 2025–26 school year
How Arkansas Schools Comply
Arkansas's bell-to-bell scope is the strictest model — phones must be inaccessible from the first bell to dismissal, including lunch, passing periods, and study halls. That makes enforcement and documented compliance the hard part, not the policy itself.
Three enforcement models
- • Physical pouches (e.g., Yondr): high per-student cost, daily distribution logistics, and limited compliance data.
- • District storage (lockers, cubbies, classroom caddies): lowest cost but relies on staff to police compliance.
- • Device-level software (LockedIn): OS-level locking, geofencing, and automated compliance reporting — no daily logistics.
Why Arkansas schools choose LockedIn
LockedIn is a software-based phone-free campus solution built for Arkansas's schools. It provides
OS-level device locking,
campus geofencing, real-time monitoring, and automated compliance reports — exactly what Arkansas administrators need to demonstrate that the policy is being enforced. Unlike physical pouches, there's no hardware to lose, replace, or distribute. See our full
comparison of phone-free campus solutions or the
LockedIn vs Yondr pouches guide.
Verify the law in Arkansas
Read the primary source — SB 142 / Act 122 (2025) — "Bell to Bell, No Cell" — and confirm the latest guidance with your state agency before adopting policy.
See our complete phone-free school laws by state directory for legislation updates across all 50 states + DC.
Get started
Arkansas schools can be phone-free in less than a day with LockedIn. Use our free phone-free school policy generator to draft a compliant policy, then contact our team to deploy district-wide.