Wisconsin School Cell Phone Law (AB 2 / Act 42): What It Requires

Yes. Wisconsin has a statewide law on student phones in school. Wisconsin Act 42 requires every school board to prohibit student use of phones, tablets, laptops and gaming devices during instructional time. Policies were due July 1, 2026, with a copy filed with DPI by Oct. 1, 2026.

What AB 2 / Act 42 requires

• • By July 1, 2026, every school board had to adopt a policy prohibiting students from using a wireless communication device, other than a district-issued device, during instructional time.
• • Covered devices include cell phones, tablets, laptops and gaming devices.
• • The policy must include exceptions for emergencies or perceived threats, managing a student's health care, uses in an IEP or Section 504 plan, and teacher-authorized educational use during instructional time.
• • Boards must submit the policy to DPI by Oct. 1, 2026, and each Oct. 1 from 2027 report whether it changed; DPI forwards policies to the Office of School Safety and the Legislative Council.
• • Boards must give each enrolled student a copy of the policy every year, and may adopt stricter policies.

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

The key provision, verbatim

“adopt a wireless communication device policy that prohibits pupils from using a wireless communication device, other than a school district-issued wireless communication device, during instructional time.”

Source: Wis. Stat. § 120.12(29)(a) (2025 Wisconsin Act 42)

Timeline

1. October 31, 2025Gov. Tony Evers signs AB 2 (2025 Wisconsin Act 42)
2. November 1, 2025Act 42 published
3. February 19, 2026Assembly passes AB 948, which would extend the ban to the school day
4. March 6, 2026Senate Education Committee recommends AB 948, 4–1
5. March 23, 2026AB 948 fails in the Senate (failed to concur under Senate Joint Resolution 1)
6. July 1, 2026Deadline for school boards to adopt their policies
7. October 1, 2026Deadline to submit the policy to DPI
8. October 1, 2027First annual notice to DPI of any policy changes

Where phones must be kept

Act 42 prohibits use during instructional time but does not say where devices must be kept; boards may adopt stricter possession rules and may allow confiscation for the rest of the school day.

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 AB 2 / Act 42 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 Wisconsin administrators

1. Confirm the board adopted its policy (due July 1, 2026) and submitted it to DPI (due Oct. 1, 2026); if either step is missing, complete it now.
2. Check that the policy includes all four required exceptions.
3. Give every enrolled student a copy of the policy each year.
4. Track any policy changes during 2026–27 for the first annual DPI notice, due Oct. 1, 2027.

How Wisconsin districts are carrying it out

The law sets the floor; each district writes its own policy on top of it. Here is what one large Wisconsin district has adopted, from its own published policy:

• • Milwaukee Public Schools: Milwaukee Public Schools (MPS) is Wisconsin's largest district, with 65,599 students in 2024-25 according to federal data.