Wisconsin phone-free school law (2026): Wisconsin requires every district to adopt a wireless-device policy banning personal devices during instructional time by July 2026. Here's what administrators need to know about compliance, scope, and enforcement.
Wisconsin has enacted a statewide phone-free school law. Under AB 2 / 2025 Wisconsin Act 42 — signed by Gov. Tony Evers 2025-10-31 — every district must adopt a policy restricting student personal-device use during instructional time. The law takes effect July 1, 2026 (district policy deadline), and many Wisconsin districts are choosing to extend their policies bell-to-bell.
What Wisconsin's Phone-Free School Law Requires
- • Statute: AB 2 / 2025 Wisconsin Act 42, signed Oct 31, 2025
- • Compliance deadline: July 1, 2026
- • Scope: prohibited during instructional time
- • School-issued devices exempt
- • Effective: 2026–27 school year
How Wisconsin Schools Comply
Wisconsin's law gives districts flexibility on how to enforce. The schools that succeed pair a written policy with an enforcement mechanism that doesn't put the burden on teachers — and that produces compliance data when the state asks for it.
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 Wisconsin schools choose LockedIn
LockedIn is a software-based phone-free campus solution built for Wisconsin's schools. It provides
OS-level device locking,
campus geofencing, real-time monitoring, and automated compliance reports — exactly what Wisconsin 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 Wisconsin
Read the primary source — AB 2 / 2025 Wisconsin Act 42 — 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
Wisconsin 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.