Dallas ISD Cell Phone Policy, 2026–27

Dallas ISD phone policy at a glance

Policy

Dallas ISD device-free zones under Texas HB 1481, enforced since the first day of school, Aug. 12, 2025

Elementary

Teachers collect phones in homeroom and store them securely until the end of the day

Middle and high school

Phones stored in pouches that open with a magnet at the end of the day

Allowed

Before the first bell and after dismissal, unless a campus restricts it

Violations

Confiscation, a Level II offense under the Student Code of Conduct; a second offense can lead to DAEP placement; schools with Reset Centers place students there on a first offense

Pickup fees

1st: no fee; 2nd: $5; 3rd: $10; 4th and later: $15

Exceptions

Documented medical monitoring; an IEP or Section 504 plan

Class use

Teachers can’t allow personal devices; schools provide district technology instead

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 Dallas ISD rules say

Students may not use or display phones, smartwatches, tablets, laptops, AirPods or smart glasses at any time during the instructional day. Each campus stores devices by type: elementary teachers collect phones in homeroom and keep them in a secure place, and secondary campuses use pouches that students unlock with a magnetic device at the end of the day. Students may use devices before the first bell and after dismissal unless their campus says otherwise.

A device used in violation is confiscated and stored at the campus. Dallas ISD treats this as a Level II offense, which can lead to a Disciplinary Alternative Education Program placement after a second offense; schools with Reset Centers place students there for a first offense. Parents pay nothing to collect a device after a first confiscation, then $5, $10 and $15 for later ones, and unclaimed devices may be disposed of after Sept. 1 of the following school year.

Students who need a device for medical monitoring, such as diabetes tracking, are exempt with medical documentation, and an IEP or Section 504 plan can grant an exception. Dallas ISD says teachers may not allow personal devices for class work, so schools provide district technology when students need it.

How it fits Texas law

Texas HB 1481, signed by Gov. Greg Abbott on June 20, 2025, added Texas Education Code 37.082. Every district and open-enrollment charter school must have a written policy that bars students from using a personal communication device on school property during the school day. A district can meet it by banning devices from school or by setting a storage method. Policies must allow use needed for an IEP, a Section 504 or similar plan, a qualified physician's directive, or a health or safety requirement of law or of the district's safety protocols. They must set discipline and may allow confiscation and, after 90 days' written notice to the parent, disposal of a confiscated device. The Texas Education Agency set the adoption deadline at Sept. 18, 2025.

Dallas ISD meets the law with a storage method: teacher collection in elementary schools and pouches in middle and high schools.

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