Rhode Island School Cell Phone Law (S 0771 / H 5598): What It Requires
Rhode Island law requires every public school to prohibit students' physical access to personal devices during the school day, effective Aug 1, 2026. Exceptions are written into individual student plans.
State lawsBy Brian Ohebshalom and Noah Fakheri, LockedIn’s co-founders
3 min read
Rhode Island school cell phone law: key facts
Enacted (bell-to-bell)- Statute or action
- S 0771 Sub A / H 5598 Sub A (2025)
- Citation
- R.I. Gen. Laws § 16-21-43 (P.L. 2025, ch. 109 and ch. 110)
- Signed or issued by
- Gov. Dan McKee,
- Takes effect
- August 1, 2026 (2026–27 school year)
- Scope
- No physical access to personal devices during the school day as defined by RIDE; policies cover school grounds and school-sponsored activities
- Exceptions
- Assistive technology under a 504 plan or IEP, Medical needs such as glucose monitoring, Language-access plans for emergent multilingual learners, Emergencies
- Enforcement
- Policy set by the school committee with the superintendent (or charter board) after consulting staff bargaining agents; filed with RIDE
- Statute: R.I. Gen. Laws § 16-21-43, enacted June 23, 2025 as P.L. 2025, ch. 109 (H 5598) and ch. 110 (S 0771)
- Effective Aug 1, 2026
- Policies must include a prohibition on students' physical access to personal devices during the school day
- Covers smartphones, tablets, computers and smartwatches not provided by the school
- Exceptions are written into the student's plan; students with exceptions may not be segregated from other students
- Districts and charters file their policies with RIDE, and parents must be notified of the policy
- Staff may not search the contents of a student's device that the school retains during school hours (and that is not in the student's possession in a locked pouch or container)
Funding: Phone-free school grants and paste-ready application language.
Primary source: S 0771 Sub A / H 5598 Sub A (2025)(opens in a new tab). Last verified . Not legal advice: confirm with your counsel.
Yes. Rhode Island has a statewide law on student phones in school. Rhode Island law requires every public school to prohibit students' physical access to personal devices during the school day, effective Aug 1, 2026. Exceptions are written into individual student plans. S 0771 / H 5598 was signed by Gov. Dan McKee on June 23, 2025.
What S 0771 / H 5598 requires
- • Each public school must have a policy on personal electronic devices on school grounds and at school-sponsored activities, and notify parents of it
- • The policy must include a prohibition on students' physical access to personal devices during the school day, as RIDE defines the school day
- • Districts must make exceptions for assistive technology under 504 plans or IEPs, medical needs such as glucose monitoring, multilingual-learner language access, and emergencies
- • Exceptions are written into the student's plan and approved by the appropriate team or coordinator; excepted students may not be segregated
- • The school committee and superintendent (or charter board) set the policy after consulting staff bargaining agents
- • Each district and charter school files its policy with RIDE
The emergency wording for every state, D.C. and Puerto Rico is in school phone ban emergency exceptions by state.
The key provision, verbatim
“The policy shall include, but not be limited to, a prohibition on physical access to a personal electronic device by students during the school day as defined by the department of education”
Source: R.I. Gen. Laws § 16-21-43(a)(1)
Timeline
- H 5598 Sub A and S 0771 Sub A enacted (P.L. 2025, ch. 109 and 110)
- R.I. Gen. Laws § 16-21-43 takes effect
Where phones must be kept
§ 16-21-43(a)(1): each policy must include "a prohibition on physical access to a personal electronic device by students during the school day."
Because Rhode Island's law turns on where the phone physically is, software on a student's phone does not by itself satisfy it. App-based locking, including LockedIn, can only add to the storage the law requires, not replace it.
Checklist for Rhode Island administrators
- Confirm your policy prohibits students' physical access to devices during the school day as RIDE defines it
- Write exceptions into each student's plan, approved by the right team or coordinator, without segregating those students
- Consult staff bargaining agents and adopt the policy through the school committee and superintendent (or charter board)
- File the policy with RIDE and notify all parents and guardians
- Check RIDE guidance, which must be reviewed annually
Rhode Island's rule is about physical access, so an app does not satisfy it on its own. For the mechanism, see how an app can lock a phone on iPhone and Android, and what a school never controls.
Frequently asked questions
Does Rhode Island have a school cell phone law?
Yes. S 0771 Sub A / H 5598 Sub A (2025), signed by Gov. Dan McKee on June 23, 2025, is a statewide law on student phones in school. Scope: No physical access to personal devices during the school day as defined by RIDE; policies cover school grounds and school-sponsored activities.
When does the Rhode Island school phone ban start?
R.I. Gen. Laws § 16-21-43 took effect Aug 1, 2026, so it applies from the 2026–27 school year.
Does the Rhode Island law ban smartwatches?
Yes. Personal electronic devices include smartphones, mobile phones, tablets, computers and smartwatches that the school does not provide.
What are the exceptions to Rhode Island's phone law?
Districts must allow assistive technology under a 504 plan or IEP, medical needs such as glucose monitoring, language-access plans for emergent multilingual learners, and emergencies. Exceptions are written into the student's plan.
Can Rhode Island schools search a student's phone?
The law bars school staff from searching the contents of a personal device that the school retains during school hours and that is not in the student's possession in a locked pouch or container (R.I. Gen. Laws § 16-21-43(d)).
Does the Rhode Island phone law apply to private schools?
No. It applies to public schools, including charter schools, which must file their policies with RIDE.
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 Rhode Island is one of them. 6 states have no statewide requirement.
Sources for Rhode Island
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.
- S 0771 Sub A / H 5598 Sub A (2025): official record(opens in a new tab)R.I. Gen. Laws § 16-21-43 (P.L. 2025, ch. 109 and ch. 110)
- P.L. 2025, ch. 110 (S 0771 Sub A)(opens in a new tab)
- Rhode Island 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.