Fort Bend ISD Cell Phone Policy, 2026–27

Fort Bend ISD phone policy at a glance

Policy

FBISD Personal Communication Device Policy, in effect since the 2025–26 school year under Texas HB 1481

Pre-K–grade 1

May not possess or use a device on school property during the school day

Grades 2–12

May bring a device but must keep it off and stored in a backpack or locker all day

Where

Classrooms, hallways, library, cafeteria, restrooms, locker rooms and every other shared space

Before and after

Grades 2–12 may use devices before entering the building and after dismissal

Devices

Phones, smartwatches, smart glasses, smart rings, gaming devices with messaging, headphones, earbuds and any computer not issued by FBISD

Exceptions

Documented medical needs (on a physician’s directive) and special education accommodations

Violations

A device used or visible during school hours may be confiscated, with a disciplinary consequence

Parent contact

Through the campus front office; students call from the front office or nurse’s 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 Fort Bend ISD policy says

Fort Bend’s rule has two tiers. Students in pre-K through grade 1 may not have a personal communication device on school property during the school day at all. Students in grades 2–12 may bring one, but must turn it off at the first bell and keep it stored in a backpack or locker until the final bell; a phone in a pocket or a watch on the wrist does not count as stored.

The rule applies in every indoor space: classrooms, hallways, the library, the cafeteria, restrooms and locker rooms. There is no lunch or passing-period exception. A device that is used or visible during school hours may be confiscated, and the student may receive a disciplinary consequence.

Students who need to reach a parent go to the front office or the nurse’s office, and parents reach students through the campus front office. In an emergency, the district contacts families directly through its mass-notification system.

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.

Fort Bend uses both of the law’s options: a no-device rule for pre-K through grade 1 and a storage rule for grades 2–12.

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