Coventry adopts a student cell phone policy required by new state law

What happened

The School Committee gave final approval to a Student Use of Personal Electronic Devices policy on July 23, 2026, after a first reading in June. The superintendent said the Rhode Island General Assembly had recently passed a law requiring every district to adopt such a policy, and that this one follows the state's wording and adds guidelines for how schools put it into practice. A member asked whether the district would have to buy phone pouches; the chair said that if pouches turned out to be required they would be another unfunded state mandate.

Why it matters to families

This sets the rule for whether a student can use a phone during the school day, in every Coventry school.

The evidence

The June 11, 2026 approved minutes record the superintendent explaining that the General Assembly recently enacted legislation requiring every district to adopt a cell phone policy and that the proposed policy aligns with the new law, and a 6-0 vote on the first reading. The July 23, 2026 minutes record a 6-0 vote approving the second reading. The policy text was not filed with the minutes, so the specific restrictions and whether pouches will be used are not established.

The source