Indianapolis Public Schools (IPS) Cell Phone Policy, 2026–27

Indianapolis Public Schools prohibits students from using phones and other personal electronic devices for the whole school day, including class, lunch and hallways. Devices brought to school must be stored in a secure location all day; a device that comes out is confiscated, and from the second offense on a parent must pick it up.

Location: Indianapolis, Indiana; Marion County
Enrollment: About 31,000 students; Indianapolis area
District rule: Whole school day, stored; Sources
State rule: SEA 78: school-day ban; Indiana law guide

IPS phone policy at a glance

Policy: IPS Personal Electronic Devices Policy, adopted under Indiana Senate Enrolled Act 78
Hours: The whole school day, including class time, lunch and hallways; use is allowed before and after school
Storage: In a secure location throughout the school day
Devices: Phones, tablets, laptops, gaming devices and connected smartwatches
1st offense: Device confiscated; the student picks it up at the end of the day
2nd offense and later: A parent or guardian must pick it up
Exceptions: Teacher-directed use on a school device; an IEP; a 504 plan; a documented medical condition with a provider’s order; language translation for multilingual learners; emergency use the superintendent authorizes
Parent contact: Call the school’s main office

Last verified Oct. 12, 2026 against the district’s published policy and the state law it cites. Sources are listed at the end of this page.

What the IPS policy says

IPS adopted its Personal Electronic Devices Policy in response to Senate Bill 78. Use of personal devices is prohibited during the school day, including class time, lunch and hallways, and any device brought to school must be stored in a secure location throughout the day. Students may use their devices before and after school hours, and parents can call the school’s main office at any time during the day.

Staff confiscate a device that is found out. After a first offense the student can pick it up at the end of the day; after a second or later offense a parent or guardian must pick it up. If a student refuses to hand over a device, staff call an administrator.

How it fits Indiana law

Indiana’s Senate Enrolled Act 78 (2026), signed by the governor on March 5, 2026 (Public Law 107) and in effect July 1, 2026, amended IC 20-26-5-40.7. It extends the state’s ban on student wireless-device use from instructional time to the whole school day, meaning all the time a student is on school property for an instructional day. Every district must choose either a no-device policy or a storage policy under which devices are “stored away, powered off, and inaccessible” throughout the school day. Policies must allow use for an IEP, a 504 plan, a documented medical condition, superintendent-authorized emergencies and language translation, and must be posted on the district’s website. IPS chose the storage model.

More detail is in our guide to Indiana’s school phone law and the phone-free school laws by state directory.

Frequently asked questions

What is the IPS cell phone policy?

Indianapolis Public Schools prohibits personal electronic device use for the whole school day, including class time, lunch and hallways. Devices brought to school must be stored in a secure location all day.

Can IPS students use phones at lunch?

No. The IPS policy covers lunch and hallways as well as class time. Students may use devices before and after school.

What happens if an IPS student’s phone is confiscated?

After a first offense the student picks the device up at the end of the school day. After a second or later offense, a parent or guardian must pick it up.

Sources

Personal Electronic Devices Policy, Indianapolis Public Schools, accessed Oct. 12, 2026
Senate Bill 78 (2026): Wireless communication device policy, Indiana General Assembly, signed March 5, 2026
SEA 78, enrolled act (PDF), Indiana General Assembly, 2026

LockedIn, which publishes this page, makes software that locks students’ own phones during the school day. It is not part of the district’s policy. Where Indiana law calls for phones to be stored away during the day, LockedIn would sit alongside that storage, not replace it.

See other Indiana school districts or school district phone policies by state.