Florida School Phone Law (HB 379 and HB 1105): K–8 Full-Day Ban and High School Rules

Yes, by grade. Under section 1006.07 of the Florida Statutes, as amended by HB 1105 in 2025, elementary and middle school students may not use a phone during the school day, and high school students may not use one during class unless a teacher directs it. Students may still bring phones to school.

Last checked October 12, 2026 against the 2026 text of s. 1006.07, F.S., and the Florida Senate's records for HB 379 (2023) and HB 1105 (2025). This page explains the law; it is not legal advice.

What Florida Law Requires

"elementary and middle school students may not use a wireless communications device during the school day. High school students may not use a wireless communications device during instructional time, except when expressly directed by a teacher solely for educational purposes."

Source: s. 1006.07(2)(f), Florida Statutes (2026)

In every grade, a student may possess a phone on school property or at a school function. Each district school board adopts rules on student device use, including any locations where students may use a phone with an administrator's express permission.

HB 379 (2023) and HB 1105 (2025)

• • HB 379 (chapter 2023-36), signed by Gov. Ron DeSantis on May 9, 2023 and effective July 1, 2023, barred phone use during instructional time, let teachers designate a storage area, restricted certain social media platforms on district devices and district internet, and added instruction on the effects of social media.
• • HB 1105 (chapter 2025-109), signed May 30, 2025 and effective July 1, 2025, extended the rule to the whole school day for elementary and middle school students. It also directs the Department of Education to study full-day limits in high schools in six districts and to report, with a model policy, by Dec. 1, 2026.

Exceptions

District rules must allow a student to use a phone during the school day in line with:

• • The student's individualized education plan (IEP).
• • The student's Section 504 accommodation plan.
• • A doctor's note from a Florida-licensed physician certifying in writing that the student needs the device, based on valid clinical reasoning or evidence.

High school teachers may also direct phone use in class solely for educational purposes. The statute does not list a general emergency exception; emergency procedures sit in district rules and safety plans. The emergency wording for every state, D.C. and Puerto Rico is in school phone ban emergency exceptions by state.

Can High School Students Use Phones at Lunch?

State law restricts high school use only during instructional time, so lunch, passing periods and before or after school are governed by each district's rules. Districts may set stricter rules, and the Department of Education's study of full-day high school limits, due Dec. 1, 2026, could shape what the Legislature does next.

Florida Timeline

What Florida's Law Does Not Require

• • A ban on possession. Students may bring and keep phones; the rules restrict use.
• • A full-day ban in high school. The statewide high school rule covers instructional time.
• • A K–8 storage method. The statute names a storage duty only for high school teachers during class.
• • Rules for private schools. Section 1006.07 sets duties for district school boards and their public schools. Published phone policies from 51 Florida private and independent schools, each with the handbook quote and source.

Compare with Texas (whole school day, all grades), Georgia (bell to bell, K–8 now and high school by July 2027) and every other state in our school phone laws by state tracker, or see the Florida district pages.

How Florida districts are carrying it out

The law sets the floor; each district writes its own policy on top of it. Here is what large Florida districts have adopted, from their own published policies:

• • Miami-Dade County Public Schools: K–8 students may not use or display devices during the school day; high schoolers may use phones outside class time.
• • Broward County Public Schools: K–8 devices stay off or in airplane mode all day; since October 2025 high schoolers may use phones at lunch, but not in class or passing periods.
• • Hillsborough County Public Schools: Elementary and middle schoolers may not use devices during the school day; high schoolers silence and store them in class, and each high school decides about lunch (Policy 5136).
• • Orange County Public Schools: Goes beyond state law: phones are silenced and put away bell to bell in every grade, including lunch.
• • School District of Palm Beach County: Elementary and middle schoolers power phones off and store them from arrival to dismissal; high schoolers may use them before and after school, between classes and at lunch.
• • Duval County Public Schools: Duval County Public Schools (DCPS) serves Jacksonville and reported 130,054 students in 2024-25, according to federal data.

Where Software Fits

Florida restricts use, not possession, so a phone can stay with a student as long as it is not used when the law forbids it. LockedIn is one software option for enforcing that: students' own phones lock during the school day and unlock after school, students can always call home or 911, and the admin dashboard flags a new unapproved device, a possible uninstall, mock locations and use of blocked apps. In high school, the statute still requires teachers to designate an area for phones during class, which software does not replace.

Primary Sources

• • Section 1006.07, Florida Statutes (2026)
• • HB 1105 (2025), chapter 2025-109 and its bill summary
• • HB 379 (2023), chapter 2023-36