New cellphone policy takes effect this school year

What happened

The board's policy committee reported on June 23, 2026 that it had reviewed the state policy alert behind New Jersey's new device rules and had discussed implementing the district's new cellphone policy, including the communication and expectations needed for a successful rollout in the 2026-2027 school year. The policy currently in Edison's published manual is the older Policy 5516, Use of Electronic Communications Devices, last edited in April 2025, which limits personal device use during the school day and school activities and covers phones, smart watches, ear buds, headphones and tablets, before and after school programmes, co-curricular activities and school buses.

Why it matters to families

The rules on phones change what a student's day looks like and how a parent reaches their child during it. The exceptions in the published policy are the practical part: use documented in an individualized education programme or a 504 plan is protected, and a student may use a device to monitor a health condition with the principal's prior permission in consultation with the school nurse, recorded in the student's health plan. The newer 2026-27 version is not yet in the published manual, so families should expect the detail to come from their school.

The evidence

The June 23, 2026 approved minutes record the policy committee reviewing Strauss Esmay Policy Alert 237, recommending the policies on that night's agenda, and discussing the implementation of the district's new cellphone policy including communication and expectations to support a successful rollout for the 2026-2027 school year. District Policy 5516, Use of Electronic Communications Devices, is marked created January 2011 and edited April 2025 and carries the limits and exceptions described.

The source