New state law: phones and smartwatches banned bell to bell by default

What happened

In a March 10, 2026 legislative update, the business administrator said a new state law makes a bell-to-bell ban on student smartphones and smartwatches the default. The district can write its own policy and will work on it this year. A separate law requires the board to adopt a classroom screen-time policy by July 2027.

Why it matters to families

Students may not be able to use phones or smartwatches at any point in the school day unless the district adopts different rules.

The evidence

YouTube recording of the March 10, 2026 board meeting (auto captions), Business Administrator legislative update on device revisions and classroom technology.

The source