Maine School Cell Phone Law (LD 2212): What It Requires
Maine's supplemental budget (LD 2212, Part GG) requires school boards to ban student use of personal electronic devices from starting bell to dismissal. Boards had to adopt and implement the policy by Aug. 1, 2026, with exceptions for IEPs, 504 plans, health care plans and English learner language support.
State lawsBy Brian Ohebshalom and Noah Fakheri, LockedIn’s co-founders
4 min read
Maine school cell phone law: key facts
Enacted (bell-to-bell)- Statute or action
- LD 2212 (2026 supplemental budget), Part GG
- Citation
- 20-A M.R.S. § 1001(23) (P.L. 2025, c. 650, Pt. GG)
- Signed or issued by
- Gov. Janet Mills,
- Takes effect
- Aug. 1, 2026 (policy adoption and implementation deadline)
- Scope
- Use prohibited from starting bell to dismissal bell; covers cell phones and other devices with Internet or cellular capability
- Exceptions
- IEP, Section 504 accommodation, Individualized health care plan, Emergent English learner language support (no other option)
- Enforcement
- Local board policy; Maine DOE and MSMA model policy JICJ
- Statute: 20-A M.R.S. § 1001(23), as replaced by Part GG of LD 2212 (P.L. 2025, c. 650), signed April 10, 2026
- Scope: student use banned from starting bell to dismissal bell
- Covers cell phones and other devices with Internet or cellular capability; Maine DOE lists smartwatches
- Deadline: boards adopt and implement the policy by Aug. 1, 2026
- Replaces the 2025 law (LD 1234) that required only a local device policy
- $350,000 in state implementation funds for school units serving grades 6–12 (Maine DOE)
Funding: Phone-free school grants and paste-ready application language.
Primary source: LD 2212 (2026 supplemental budget), Part GG(opens in a new tab). Last verified . Not legal advice: confirm with your counsel.
Yes. Maine has a statewide law on student phones in school. Maine's supplemental budget (LD 2212, Part GG) requires school boards to ban student use of personal electronic devices from starting bell to dismissal. Boards had to adopt and implement the policy by Aug. 1, 2026, with exceptions for IEPs, 504 plans, health care plans and English learner language support.
What LD 2212 requires
- • By Aug. 1, 2026, every school board must adopt and implement a policy prohibiting student use of personal electronic devices for the duration of the school day, from starting bell to dismissal bell.
- • The policy must restrict student use of cell phones and other personal electronic devices with Internet or cellular network capabilities.
- • The Maine DOE, with the Maine School Management Association, must make a model policy available.
- • The model policy must include exceptions for a student's IEP, a documented Section 504 accommodation, prescribed medical care in an individualized health care plan, and language support for an emergent English learner when no other translation option is available.
The emergency wording for every state, D.C. and Puerto Rico is in school phone ban emergency exceptions by state.
The key provision, verbatim
“By August 1, 2026, a school board shall adopt and implement a policy prohibiting student use of personal electronic devices for the duration of the school day, from starting bell to dismissal bell.”
Source: 20-A M.R.S. § 1001(23) (LD 2212, Part GG)
Timeline
- Gov. Mills signs LD 1234 (P.L. 2025, c. 210), requiring boards to adopt a personal electronic device policy
- Legislature enacts the supplemental budget, LD 2212 (House 76–71, Senate 18–16)
- Gov. Janet Mills signs LD 2212; Part GG replaces the 2025 language with a bell-to-bell requirement
- Maine DOE issues a Priority Notice and the DOE/MSMA model policy JICJ
- Ceremonial signing at Westbrook High School
- Supplemental budget takes effect, per Maine DOE; implementation funds follow
- Deadline for every school board to adopt and implement its policy
Where phones must be kept
Part GG prohibits use from starting bell to dismissal bell but does not say where devices must be kept; storage is set in each local policy.
Some schools back a written policy with phone-management software such as LockedIn: students' own phones lock automatically on campus during school hours and unlock after school, with no pouches or hardware; the admin dashboard flags workarounds by student name, such as a possible uninstall or a new device awaiting approval; and in an emergency, one tap from an administrator starts Emergency Mode on every phone on campus. Software does not replace the policy LD 2212 requires, and it should be set up around the exceptions the law lists; have counsel review any tool that handles student device data.
Checklist for Maine administrators
- Confirm the board adopted and implemented a bell-to-bell policy by the Aug. 1, 2026 deadline; if not, adopt one now.
- Check that the policy covers smartwatches and other Internet- or cellular-capable devices, not just phones.
- Include the four required exceptions: IEP, Section 504, individualized health care plan and emergent English learner language support.
- Compare your policy with the Maine DOE/MSMA model policy JICJ.
- School units serving grades 6–12: confirm your share of the $350,000 state implementation funding.
Frequently asked questions
Does Maine have a school cell phone law?
Yes. LD 2212 (2026 supplemental budget), Part GG, signed by Gov. Janet Mills on April 10, 2026, is a statewide law on student phones in school. Scope: Use prohibited from starting bell to dismissal bell; covers cell phones and other devices with Internet or cellular capability.
Is it illegal to have your phone in school in Maine?
No. The law does not make having a phone a crime. Since Aug. 1, 2026 every school board must have a policy banning student use of personal electronic devices from starting bell to dismissal bell, and consequences come from that local policy.
When does the Maine school phone ban start?
School boards had to adopt and implement their bell-to-bell policies by Aug. 1, 2026, so the ban applies in the 2026–27 school year. Gov. Janet Mills signed it into law on April 10, 2026 as Part GG of the supplemental budget (LD 2212).
Do smartwatches count under Maine's phone ban?
The law covers cell phones and other personal electronic devices with Internet or cellular network capabilities. The Maine DOE lists smartwatches among the covered devices.
What exceptions does Maine allow?
The model policy must include exceptions for a student's IEP, documented Section 504 accommodations, prescribed medical care in an individualized health care plan, and language support for emergent English learners when no other translation option exists. Maine DOE says emergency exceptions may also follow local health and safety procedures.
Does the Maine law apply to private schools?
The requirement is placed on public school boards under 20-A M.R.S. § 1001; it does not address private schools.
How many states have school cell phone laws?
As of October 27, 2026, 44 states and D.C. have a statewide law, executive order or state board policy that requires public schools to restrict student phones or adopt a phone policy, and Maine is one of them. 6 states have no statewide requirement.
Sources for Maine
Phone rules change with new bills, administrative rules and local board policy. Checked against these sources on . Not legal advice: confirm with counsel before you adopt policy language.
- LD 2212 (2026 supplemental budget), Part GG: official record(opens in a new tab)20-A M.R.S. § 1001(23) (P.L. 2025, c. 650, Pt. GG)
- LD 2212 (HP 1491) status: P.L. 2025, c. 650(opens in a new tab)
- Maine DOE Priority Notice, May 20, 2026(opens in a new tab)
- Governor Mills ceremonial signing release, May 27, 2026(opens in a new tab)
- Maine Legislature(opens in a new tab)Statutes and session bills
- Maine Department of Education(opens in a new tab)State K–12 education agency
Compare every state: which states ban phones in school, or find your state’s education agency through the U.S. Department of Education’s state contacts.