U.S. school phone bans, state by state

Written record

State rules and researched handbooks

The map and district file below are interactive. This list is the same state rules and handbook records, in writing.

State rules

• Alaska. Districts must adopt a policy. The restriction type is local.
• Alabama. Devices off and stored during the school day.
• Arkansas. No personal use during the school day. Storage is often local.
• Arizona. Districts must adopt a policy. The restriction type is local.
• California. The statewide rule differs by grade.
• Colorado. Districts must adopt a policy. The restriction type is local.
• Connecticut. State guidance only. Not a statutory mandate.
• District of Columbia. No personal use during the school day. Storage is often local.
• Delaware. No personal-device use during instructional time. Districts may be stricter.
• Florida. The statewide rule differs by grade.
• Georgia. The statewide rule differs by grade.
• Hawaii. The statewide rule differs by grade.
• Iowa. No personal-device use during instructional time. Districts may be stricter.
• Idaho. Districts must adopt a policy. The restriction type is local.
• Illinois. The statewide rule differs by grade.
• Indiana. No personal use during the school day. Storage is often local.
• Kansas. No personal use during the school day. Storage is often local.
• Kentucky. No personal-device use during instructional time. Districts may be stricter.
• Louisiana. Devices off and stored during the school day.
• Massachusetts. No statewide law in this file.
• Maryland. No personal use during the school day. Storage is often local.
• Maine. No personal use during the school day. Storage is often local.
• Michigan. No personal-device use during instructional time. Districts may be stricter.
• Minnesota. Districts must adopt a policy. The restriction type is local.
• Missouri. No personal use during the school day. Storage is often local.
• Mississippi. No statewide law in this file.
• Montana. No statewide law in this file.
• North Carolina. No personal-device use during instructional time. Boards may be stricter.
• North Dakota. No personal use during the school day. Storage is often local.
• Nebraska. No personal use during the school day. Storage is often local.
• New Hampshire. No personal use during the school day. Storage is often local.
• New Jersey. No personal use during the school day. Storage is often local.
• New Mexico. Districts must adopt a policy. The restriction type is local.
• Nevada. No personal-device use during instructional time. Districts may be stricter.
• New York. No personal use during the school day. Storage is often local.
• Ohio. No personal use during the school day. Storage is often local.
• Oklahoma. No personal use during the school day. Storage is often local.
• Oregon. No personal use during the school day. Storage is often local.
• Pennsylvania. No statewide law in this file.
• Rhode Island. No personal use during the school day. Storage is often local.
• South Carolina. Devices off and stored during the school day.
• South Dakota. No statewide law in this file.
• Tennessee. No personal-device use during instructional time. Districts may go bell-to-bell.
• Texas. No personal use during the school day. Storage remains locally determined.
• Utah. No personal use during the school day. Storage is often local.
• Virginia. No personal use during the school day. Storage is often local.
• Vermont. No personal use during the school day. Storage is often local.
• Washington. State guidance only. Not a statutory mandate.
• Wisconsin. No personal-device use during instructional time. Districts may be stricter.
• West Virginia. No personal-device use during instructional time. Districts may be stricter.
• Wyoming. Districts must adopt a policy. The restriction type is local.

District handbooks

• Anchorage School District, Alaska. Depends on grade. unspecified
• Birmingham City Schools, Alabama. Off and away.
• Little Rock School District, Arkansas. No personal use all school day.
• Fresno Unified School District, California. Class only. confiscation authorized
• Long Beach Unified School District, California. Depends on grade. unspecified
• Los Angeles Unified School District, California. No personal use all school day. site-varies (often confiscation)
• Oakland Unified School District, California. No personal use all school day. unspecified
• Sacramento City Unified School District, California. No personal use all school day. site-set; confiscation authorized
• San Diego Unified School District, California. Depends on grade. verbal then counselor/parent then confiscation
• San Francisco Unified School District, California. Off and away. confiscation authorized
• East Side Union High School District, California. Class only. unspecified
• School District No. 1 in the County of Denver, Colorado. No personal use all school day. unspecified
• Hartford Public Schools, Connecticut. Depends on grade. school-level (Pathways: collect pouch, home contact)
• New Haven Public Schools, Connecticut. No personal use all school day.
• Stamford Public Schools, Connecticut. Depends on grade. tiered at HS (associate-superintendent notice)
• District of Columbia Public Schools, District of Columbia. No personal use all school day.
• Christina School District, Delaware. Off and away.
• Broward County Public Schools, Florida. Depends on grade.
• Miami-Dade County Public Schools, Florida. Depends on grade.
• Orange County Public Schools, Florida. No personal use all school day. confiscation; returned to student EOD
• Atlanta Public Schools, Georgia. No personal use all school day.
• DeKalb County School District, Georgia. No personal use all school day. progressive per Code of Student Conduct
• Fulton County Schools, Georgia. Depends on grade. Code of Conduct / staff reminder then discipline
• Des Moines Independent Community School District, Iowa. Depends on grade. confiscation or other campus consequences
• Chicago Public Schools District 299, Illinois. Depends on grade. unauthorized possession/use is an SCC Group 1 inappropriate behavior (interventions/detention available)
• Fayette County Public Schools, Kentucky. Class only. confiscation (Leestown MS: 1st returned to student same day after parent notice)
• Jefferson County Public Schools, Kentucky. No personal use all school day. confiscation; return to parent/student EOD; progressive consequences set by school
• NOLA Public Schools (Orleans Parish), Louisiana. Off and away.
• Boston Public Schools, Massachusetts. Off and away.
• Cambridge Public Schools, Massachusetts. Class only.
• Springfield Public Schools, Massachusetts. No personal use all school day. confiscation returned to student no earlier than end of day
• Worcester Public Schools, Massachusetts. Class only. confiscation returned to student end of day
• Baltimore City Public Schools, Maryland. No personal use all school day.
• Montgomery County Public Schools, Maryland. No personal use all school day. Code of Conduct levels 1-3 for persistent use (Bethesda Magazine 7 Aug 2026)
• Prince George's County Public Schools, Maryland. Class only. Code of Student Conduct / possible confiscation (AP 5132)
• Detroit Public Schools Community District, Michigan. Depends on grade. Code of Conduct (not itemized in 18 Aug 2026 letter)
• Minneapolis Public School District, Minnesota. Class only. UNKNOWN on current district text (older policy allowed confiscation; 2023 proposed rewrite would have removed listed consequences)
• Ocean Springs School District, Mississippi. Depends on grade. progressive; 3rd offense parent pickup last day of semester
• Jackson Public Schools, Mississippi. Off and away. 1st: 5-day confiscation; three-strike ladder up to 45 days
• Madison County Schools, Mississippi. Depends on grade.
• DeSoto County School District, Mississippi. Off and away. visible device confiscated to Discipline Office (HS handbook)
• Marshall County School District, Mississippi. No personal use all school day.
• Ashe County Schools, North Carolina. Class only. Teacher confiscates; parent may collect at end of school day
• Asheville City Schools, North Carolina. Off and away. AHS handbook: warning + student places phone in classroom lock box
• Brunswick County Schools, North Carolina. No personal use all school day.
• Buncombe County Schools, North Carolina. Class only.
• Cabarrus County Schools, North Carolina. Depends on grade.
• Carteret County Public Schools, North Carolina. Class only.
• Catawba County Schools, North Carolina. Class only. Device confiscation (district technology-policies summary)
• Chapel Hill-Carrboro City Schools, North Carolina. Depends on grade.
• Charlotte-Mecklenburg Schools, North Carolina. Class only. Consequences per Student Code of Conduct
• Columbus County Schools, North Carolina. No personal use all school day.
• Craven County Board of Education, North Carolina. Off and away. Device confiscated; student may pick up at end of day
• Cumberland County Schools, North Carolina. Depends on grade. Verbal warning to turn off and put away
• Durham Public Schools, North Carolina. Depends on grade. Verbal warning; power down and put away immediately
• Edgecombe County Public Schools, North Carolina. Class only. Confiscation (per WRAL summary of code of conduct)
• Gaston County Schools, North Carolina. Depends on grade. Verbal warning; WCD confiscated until end of school day; parent contacted
• Guilford County Schools, North Carolina. Class only. Discipline and/or confiscation (guidance flyer); WXII: staff can take device and return to parent
• Hertford County Schools, North Carolina. No personal use all school day. Verbal warning and student conference; staff confiscates, bags it, returns at end of class
• Iredell-Statesville Schools, North Carolina. Class only.
• Johnston County Public Schools, North Carolina. Depends on grade. Parent notified; admin places phone in secure main-office area for parent/guardian pickup
• Lee County Schools, North Carolina. Class only. Immediate confiscation; returned to parent/guardian unless unusual circumstances
• Montgomery County Schools, North Carolina. Depends on grade. Confiscation; returned only to parent/guardian
• Nash County Public Schools, North Carolina. No personal use all school day.
• New Hanover County Schools, North Carolina. Class only.
• Onslow County Schools, North Carolina. Off and away. Confiscation; return per school code of conduct
• Pender County Schools, North Carolina. No personal use all school day.
• Pitt County Schools, North Carolina. Depends on grade.
• Polk County Schools, North Carolina. No personal use all school day. Confiscation and other age-appropriate Code of Conduct measures (school-level)
• Public Schools of Robeson County, North Carolina. Class only.
• Randolph County School System, North Carolina. Class only. UNKNOWN (range includes warning through confiscation/parent pickup)
• Rockingham County Schools, North Carolina. Depends on grade.
• Union County Public Schools, North Carolina. Depends on grade. Confiscate; return to student end of academic day; notify parent
• Wake County Schools, North Carolina. Depends on grade. Non-disciplinary / non-exclusionary interventions; OSS up to 2 days only for repeated violations (Code of Student Conduct)
• Wilson County Schools, North Carolina. Class only. Employees may confiscate devices that are on/used/displayed
• Winston Salem / Forsyth County Schools, North Carolina. Depends on grade. Parental contact and office referral; confiscation after third offense (held to end of day)
• Omaha Public Schools, Nebraska. Class only. Level 1 non-compliance requiring administrative response (not a listed first-step confiscation in CoC extract)
• Clark County School District, Nevada. Class only. district behavior guidelines
• New York City Public Schools (Chancellor A-413), New York. No personal use all school day. school-based (state bar on suspension-solely-for-phone)
• Oklahoma City Public Schools, Oklahoma. No personal use all school day. 1st: office hold, return to student EOD
• Tulsa Public Schools, Oklahoma. No personal use all school day.
• School District of Philadelphia, Pennsylvania. Depends on grade. school-level
• Pittsburgh Public Schools, Pennsylvania. No personal use all school day.
• East Providence School Department, Rhode Island. No personal use all school day. progressive discipline if caught using (admin: no student searches)
• Charleston County School District, South Carolina. Off and away. progressive discipline plan
• Sioux Falls School District 49-5, South Dakota. Depends on grade. discipline matrix (text not extracted)
• Knox County Schools, Tennessee. No personal use all school day. range from warning to confiscation; teacher may withhold during class; parent pickup for repeated/severe
• Bartlett City Schools, Tennessee. Class only.
• Collierville Schools, Tennessee. Depends on grade. confiscation until parent/guardian pickup (personal-use violation)
• Germantown Municipal School District, Tennessee. Class only.
• Lakeland School System, Tennessee. Off and away.
• Memphis-Shelby County Schools, Tennessee. No personal use all school day. progressive: confiscation; parent pickup; conference; ISS/OSS; loss of bring-device privilege
• Cheatham County School District, Tennessee. Class only. school-level (Harpeth MS 2025-26: parent pickup)
• Metro Nashville Public Schools, Tennessee. Class only. confiscation until released to parent/guardian; teacher may withhold for the class period
• Rutherford County Schools, Tennessee. No personal use all school day.
• Sumner County Schools, Tennessee. No personal use all school day. confiscation until released to parent/guardian
• Williamson County Schools, Tennessee. Depends on grade. confiscation for remainder of school day
• Wilson County Schools, Tennessee. Class only. disciplinary action may include confiscation
• Austin ISD, Texas. No personal use all school day. confiscation (board discipline vote was 21 Aug 2025; itemized ladder not retrieved)
• Del Valle ISD, Texas. No personal use all school day. confiscate; return only to parent/guardian
• Hays CISD, Texas. No personal use all school day. parent notification; device held until end of day (interim until formal policy)
• Lake Travis ISD, Texas. No personal use all school day. confiscate; student pickup EOD
• Leander ISD, Texas. No personal use all school day. verbal or written warning; then parent contact; confiscation if needed (parent retrieve)
• Pflugerville ISD, Texas. No personal use all school day. transition first 9 weeks: reminders/progressive; then immediate progressive (not itemized)
• Round Rock ISD, Texas. No personal use all school day. warning; later confiscation
• Allen ISD, Texas. No personal use all school day.
• Arlington ISD, Texas. No personal use all school day. confiscate; parent contact; student retrieve EOD
• Dallas ISD, Texas. No personal use all school day. UNKNOWN (FAQ accordion not extracted)
• Fort Worth ISD, Texas. No personal use all school day. parent/guardian retrieve end of day
• Frisco ISD, Texas. No personal use all school day.
• Garland ISD, Texas. No personal use all school day. confiscation and Code of Conduct (not itemized)
• Lewisville ISD, Texas. No personal use all school day. Code of Conduct; may include confiscation (not itemized)
• McKinney ISD, Texas. No personal use all school day. admin; warning; parent notified; student retrieve EOD
• Mesquite ISD, Texas. No personal use all school day. confiscate; student retrieve EOD; no fee
• Plano ISD, Texas. No personal use all school day. UNKNOWN (offense accordion not extracted)
• Richardson ISD, Texas. No personal use all school day.
• El Paso ISD, Texas. No personal use all school day. confiscation and Code of Conduct (not itemized)
• Socorro ISD, Texas. Depends on grade. confiscate; return to student EOD
• Ysleta ISD, Texas. Depends on grade. confiscation and Code of Conduct (not itemized)
• Aldine ISD, Texas. No personal use all school day. Code of Conduct and/or confiscation (not itemized)
• Clear Creek ISD, Texas. No personal use all school day. staff may confiscate if rings/vibrates/used
• Cypress-Fairbanks ISD, Texas. No personal use all school day.
• Fort Bend ISD, Texas. Depends on grade. used or visible may be confiscated; Code of Conduct consequences
• Houston ISD, Texas. No personal use all school day. confiscate; parent retrieve after school and sign policy
• Humble ISD, Texas. No personal use all school day. MS/HS: D-Hall, student pickup same day; ES 1st/2nd: office, written notice, student pickup EOD
• Katy ISD, Texas. No personal use all school day. confiscation; parent pickup; campuses may add restrictions
• Klein ISD, Texas. No personal use all school day. UNKNOWN (law requires disciplinary consequences)
• Pasadena ISD, Texas. No personal use all school day. confiscate and deliver to office
• Spring Branch ISD, Texas. No personal use all school day. confiscation by authorized employee; Code of Conduct
• Spring ISD, Texas. No personal use all school day.
• Alamo Heights ISD, Texas. No personal use all school day. confiscate; 2-hour Saturday detention; student pickup EOD (AHHS principal letter via TPR)
• East Central ISD, Texas. No personal use all school day. confiscate; parent/guardian pickup only
• Judson ISD, Texas. No personal use all school day. held in office; parent/guardian pickup only
• North East ISD, Texas. Depends on grade.
• Northside ISD, Texas. No personal use all school day. UNKNOWN (disciplinary consequences)
• San Antonio ISD, Texas. No personal use all school day. documented verbal warning; confiscation possible
• Fairfax County Public Schools, Virginia. No personal use all school day. SR&R Universal Grade Matrix (confiscation EOD in FAQ)
• Loudoun County Public Schools, Virginia. No personal use all school day.
• Seattle School District No. 1, Washington. Depends on grade. unspecified
• Milwaukee Public Schools, Wisconsin. No personal use all school day. confiscate, inventory, store until parent or adult-student conference
• Kanawha County Schools, West Virginia. Depends on grade.
• Cabell County Schools, West Virginia. No personal use all school day. leniency for first offense; out-of-sight not necessarily locked (Hardesty)