AL
Alabama
Full school day
Full-day restriction includes lunch and transitions; devices are off and stored off the person.
Text reviewed
Personal devices / October 3, 2026
Compare state device rules.
See what each jurisdiction’s source actually establishes. Compare grade bands, exceptions and deadlines—and see where the evidence still needs work.
51jurisdictions examined
28operative texts reviewed
15official summaries reviewed
8unresolved findings
How to read this: “Full school day” describes timing, not an exception-free ban. “Instructional limits” can include locally designed restrictions. “Unresolved” means this review cannot establish the current floor; it does not mean no policy exists. Grade bands describe the cited statewide scope, not district rules.
Select up to three jurisdictions to compare. Filters change the list; your selections stay available below.
AK
Alaska
Unresolved
Enrolled HB57 refers to regulating possession and use. The current minimum restriction was not resolved in this release.
Unresolved
AZ
Arizona
Local policy required
Boards must adopt policies limiting device use, with local decisions about permitted use; this is not a uniform full-day ban.
Text reviewed
AR
Arkansas
Full school day
School-day prohibition runs from the start of the school day to dismissal.
Text reviewed
CA
California
Local policy required
Districts, county offices and charter schools must limit or prohibit smartphone use; local policy determines the restriction.
Text reviewed
CO
Colorado
Local policy required
Local boards must adopt, implement and post a communication-device policy; no uniform full-day floor is established by this source.
Official summary reviewed
CT
Connecticut
Guidance / research
State Board guidance recommends phone-free school days, with flexibility for instruction and student needs. Guidance is not a statutory ban.
Official summary reviewed
DE
Delaware
Instructional limits
The enacted measure requires local guidelines limiting instructional-time cellphone use; it does not establish a single full-day prohibition.
Official summary reviewed
DC
District of Columbia
Full school day
The minimum policy prohibits possession on the person throughout the school day; storage in a backpack or purse is treated differently.
Text reviewed
FL
Florida
Full school day
Elementary and middle schools restrict use throughout the school day. High schools restrict instructional-time use.
Text reviewed
GA
Georgia
Full school day
K–8 full-day rules apply now. The high-school expansion has a later implementation deadline.
Text reviewedTransition noted
HI
Hawaii
Full school day
State Board policy requires elementary and middle school devices off and away all day; high schools restrict instructional time.
Official summary reviewed
ID
Idaho
Unresolved
A newer statutory local-policy requirement was identified, but the primary text could not be retrieved. The older executive guidance is insufficient to classify the current floor.
Unresolved
IL
Illinois
Unresolved
Official indexed text identifies a future full-day requirement with transitional treatment of existing policies; the complete act was not accessible.
UnresolvedTransition noted
IN
Indiana
Unresolved
A 2026 successor measure was identified. Its complete operative text was not available for this review.
Unresolved
IA
Iowa
Instructional limits
Local policies must restrict devices during classroom instruction; districts may choose stronger restrictions.
Text reviewed
KS
Kansas
Full school day
Students must turn off and store personal devices in an inaccessible place during the school day.
Text reviewed
KY
Kentucky
Instructional limits
Enacted legislative summary describes a prohibition during instructional time, with specified exceptions.
Official summary reviewed
LA
Louisiana
Full school day
Devices must be off and stowed away from the person, or their use prohibited, during the instructional day.
Text reviewed
ME
Maine
Full school day
Agency implementation notice quotes a full-day restriction that supersedes the earlier local-policy approach.
Official summary reviewed
MD
Maryland
Future requirement
The cited act establishes a future school-day restriction. It does not by itself resolve the current local rule.
Text reviewedTransition noted
MA
Massachusetts
Unresolved
The reviewed H5366 page is a House amendment, not evidence that a statewide ban is enacted.
Unresolved
MI
Michigan
Instructional limits
The governor’s signing announcement identifies instructional-time restrictions, not a full-day statewide rule.
Official summary reviewed
MN
Minnesota
Local policy required
Every school district and charter school must adopt a cellphone policy; this section sets no uniform prohibition.
Text reviewed
MS
Mississippi
Unresolved
An introduced bill is available, but its final official disposition and any successor action were not resolved.
Unresolved
MO
Missouri
Full school day
Use or display is prohibited from the start to the end of the school day, including meals and passing periods.
Official summary reviewed
MT
Montana
Guidance / research
The governor encourages phone-free schools. This source is an encouragement to districts, not a statewide legal prohibition.
Official summary reviewed
NE
Nebraska
Full school day
The statute establishes a broad school-property restriction with substantial local authority to authorize exceptions.
Text reviewed
NV
Nevada
Instructional limits
Policies must limit device use during instruction; the law does not prescribe a single uniform full-day ban.
Text reviewed
NH
New Hampshire
Full school day
Policies restrict personal-device use from the first bell through dismissal.
Text reviewed
NJ
New Jersey
Full school day
Policies must prohibit nonacademic internet-enabled device use throughout the school day. Reasonable academic exceptions remain available.
Text reviewed
NM
New Mexico
Local policy required
Districts must adopt a device policy. The statute permits an instructional-time prohibition but does not require that particular design.
Text reviewed
NY
New York
Full school day
Unsanctioned internet-enabled device use is prohibited throughout the school day, including noninstructional periods.
Text reviewed
NC
North Carolina
Instructional limits
Public school units prohibit using, displaying or having a wireless device turned on during instructional time.
Text reviewed
ND
North Dakota
Full school day
The governor’s signing notice describes a full-day restriction with devices securely stowed and inaccessible.
Official summary reviewed
OH
Ohio
Full school day
The instructional day includes transitions, recess, meals and field trips; it is broader than classroom instruction.
Official summary reviewedTransition noted
OK
Oklahoma
Full school day
An official signing announcement describes the full-day restriction as permanent under the 2026 measure.
Official summary reviewed
OR
Oregon
Full school day
The restriction spans the start to the end of regular instructional hours, rather than only periods of classroom teaching.
Text reviewed
PA
Pennsylvania
Unresolved
A governor’s call for legislation is available; it does not establish a completed statewide enactment.
Unresolved
RI
Rhode Island
Full school day
The law restricts physical access to personal internet-enabled devices during the school day.
Text reviewed
SC
South Carolina
Full school day
State funding conditions and the Board model establish phone-free school days; the agency supplies implementation materials.
Official summary reviewed
SD
South Dakota
Unresolved
The official SB198 page could not provide readable final-status evidence in this review.
Unresolved
TN
Tennessee
Instructional limits
The enacted legislative summary restricts device use during instructional time.
Official summary reviewed
TX
Texas
Full school day
Local policies must prohibit personal wireless communication device use during the school day.
Text reviewed
UT
Utah
Full school day
Full-day restriction is the default, with local exceptions and a designated-area process for brief parent communication.
Text reviewed
VT
Vermont
Full school day
Arrival-to-dismissal restrictions apply to personal electronic devices.
Text reviewed
VA
Virginia
Full school day
Boards must restrict personal-device use throughout the school day in public elementary and secondary schools.
Text reviewed
WA
Washington
Guidance / research
The law requires resources and a report, while leaving local restrictions permissive. Its 2030 goal is not a present statewide ban.
Text reviewed
WV
West Virginia
Instructional limits
Restrictions apply in classroom settings during instructional time, with local enforcement procedures.
Text reviewed
WI
Wisconsin
Instructional limits
The governor’s signing announcement describes classroom restrictions; the detailed operative scope needs a statute-level check.
Official summary reviewed
WY
Wyoming
Local policy required
Districts must adopt a device policy and report it to the superintendent. The act does not set a uniform full-day prohibition.
Text reviewed