Vermont School Cell Phone Law (H.480 / Act 72): What It Requires

Yes. Vermont has a statewide law on student phones in school. Vermont's Act 72 requires school boards and approved independent schools to enforce, from 2026–27, a policy at least as strict as the state model that bars student use of cell phones and personal devices from arrival to dismissal.

What H.480 / Act 72 requires

• • The Secretary of Education must develop, and review at least annually, a model policy prohibiting student use of cell phones and personal electronic devices at school from arrival to dismissal
• • The model must allow use required by a health care plan, IEP or 504 plan, administrator-approved academic, athletic or cocurricular use, and McKinney-Vento compliance
• • From 2026–27, each school board must adopt, enforce and publish a policy at least as stringent as the model
• • From 2026–27, each approved independent school must adopt and enforce a policy at least as stringent as the model
• • A board or approved independent school that fails to adopt a policy is presumed to have adopted the most current model policy

The emergency wording for every state, D.C. and Puerto Rico is in school phone ban emergency exceptions by state.

The key provision, verbatim

“prohibit student use of cell phones and non-school-issued personal electronic devices that connect to cellular networks, the internet, or have wireless capabilities at school from arrival to dismissal.”

Source: 16 V.S.A. § 583(a)(1)

Timeline

1. June 27, 2025Gov. Phil Scott approves H.480 (Act 72), adding 16 V.S.A. § 583; policies required from the 2026–27 school year

Where phones must be kept

16 V.S.A. § 583 prohibits use from arrival to dismissal; the statute itself does not say where devices must be kept.

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 H.480 / Act 72 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 Vermont administrators

1. Confirm your policy is at least as stringent as the current AOE model policy and covers arrival to dismissal
2. Document health-plan, IEP and 504 exceptions under state and federal law
3. Set up administrator approval for academic, athletic and cocurricular use, kept to the minimum
4. Approved independent schools: adopt and enforce your own policy, or you are presumed to follow the model
5. Stop using social media to communicate directly with students