New Jersey phone-free school law (2026): New Jersey directs the Commissioner of Education to issue grade-differentiated guidelines prohibiting non-academic device use during the school day. Here's what administrators need to know about compliance, scope, and enforcement.
New Jersey has a statewide bell-to-bell phone-free school law in effect. Under S3695 (2026) — signed by Gov. Phil Murphy 2026-01-08 — every public school in New Jersey must keep student personal devices off and out of reach for the entire school day. Effective 2026–27 school year, New Jersey now joins the growing majority of U.S. states with a statutory ban on classroom phone use.
What New Jersey's Phone-Free School Law Requires
- • Statute: S3695, signed January 8, 2026
- • Scope: bell-to-bell prohibition on school grounds
- • NJDOE issues grade-differentiated guidelines
- • Federal-law and IEP exemptions written in
- • Effective: 2026–27 school year
How New Jersey Schools Comply
New Jersey'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 New Jersey schools choose LockedIn
LockedIn is a software-based phone-free campus solution built for New Jersey's schools. It provides
OS-level device locking,
campus geofencing, real-time monitoring, and automated compliance reports — exactly what New Jersey 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 New Jersey
Read the primary source — S3695 (2026) — 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
New Jersey 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.