Phones banned during the school day under Policy 5516

What happened

Brick Township's Policy 5516, Student Use of Internet-Enabled Devices, was last edited in September 2026 and is up for second-reading approval on the September 24, 2026 agenda together with its regulation. It prohibits students from using an internet-enabled device on school grounds during the school day, following New Jersey's bell-to-bell law and the state's January 2026 guidance. An internet-enabled device covers smartphones, tablets, smartwatches and smart glasses, but not a district-issued device used for schoolwork.

Why it matters to families

Every Brick student's school day changes, and so does how parents reach their child. The policy keeps exceptions for a student's individualized education programme, a 504 plan, a documented health need, translation, a student caring for a family member and emergencies, and it gives parents a written route to ask for an accommodation, with the district required to answer within five school days. The rules must be printed in student handbooks, so families can check how their own school handles storage and consequences.

The evidence

District Policy 5516, published on the board's policy portal, is headed Student Use of Internet-Enabled Devices, marked created June 2023 and edited September 2026, and states that the board prohibits student use of internet-enabled devices on school grounds during the school day under N.J.S.A. 18A:36-40b, citing the New Jersey Department of Education's January 2026 guidance. The September 24, 2026 board agenda lists P 5516 and R 5516 for approval at second reading.

The source