Don’t Answer the Call: New Jersey’s “Bell to Bell” Statute Requires School Districts to Develop Policies Banning Cell Phone Use Beginning in the 2026-2027 School Year

By: Dina Sayedahmed, Law Clerk

Cell phones have become one of the most disruptive forces in today’s classrooms, reshaping how students learn, socialize, and stay focused during the school day. In February 2025, we published Disconnect to Reconnect: New Jersey’s Push to Ban Cell Phones in Schools, summarizing the State’s goal of prioritizing a school cell phone ban following Governor Murphy’s final State of the State address. Even before then, school districts across the state have been experimenting with cell phone bans and restrictions. Now, they will be required to adopt policies doing so.

In the last days of his term, Governor Murphy signed P.L. 2025, c. 195 (“Chapter 195”), a statute requiring public school districts to adopt guidelines prohibiting cell phone use “bell-to-bell.”

What does state-wide legislation mean, though, and what sort of litigation matters could it give rise to?

1. The History of Cell Phone Regulations in NJ Public Schools

Regulating cell phone use is old news for many New Jersey schools.

As early as the 2023-2024 academic year, Linden Public Schools required students to store their cell phones in Yondr pouches — secure, lockable fabric sleeves that can only be opened at designated unlocking stations inside the school buildings.

That same year, Bridgewater-Raritan High Schools began banning cell phones from classrooms. Students were required to place their phones in classroom cubbies for the duration of each class period, though they were permitted to access them during non-instructional time, such as lunch, study hall, or between classes.

Beginning in September 2024, the Cherry Hill School District banned all wireless devices during class time, including cell phones, smartwatches, earbuds, and headphones. Unless a student has specific IEP accommodations, devices were only permitted during free time, such as lunch or bus rides

And it’s not just New Jersey: 76.9 percent of schools nationwide prohibited non-academic cell phone or smartphone use during school hours in the 2019-20 school year, according to the National Center for Education Statistics. In many ways, the bell-to-bell statewide legislation reflects efforts already taking shape across many New Jersey schools.

1. The Impact of Cell phone Use on Student Education Experiences

Educators have long reported that cell phones are a major classroom distraction. More than that, research consistently shows that increased access to personal cell phones during the school day is associated with reduced focus and attention. Research also suggests that removing phones can improve student performance, particularly for students who are lower-achieving, as measured by improved test scores following bans. At the same time, however, comprehensive reviews highlight that the evidence is mixed and largely correlational, emphasizing associations between phone use and attention problems rather than proven causation.

Nonetheless, research indicates that unfettered access to cell phones and social media platforms can increase bullying and cyberbullying among school-aged youth, extending peer conflicts into online spaces that follow students beyond the classroom and dramatically impacting students’ mental health. U.S. Surgeon General Vivek Murthy has warned that children under 14 should avoid social media and issued a public health advisory outlining its potential risks to youth mental health. A BMC Psychology review of 50 studies found that higher screen time is associated with poorer mental well-being among adolescents, and that social media use is linked to an increased risk of depression in girls. On the other hand, restrictions on cell phone use may contribute to reductions in bullying.

• What Must School Districts Do?

Chapter 195 establishes a statewide requirement that public schools restrict students’ non-academic use of personal cell phones and other internet-enabled devices throughout the entire school day, from the first bell to the last, including lunch periods, transitions, school bus rides, and school-sponsored events

The law, signed by Governor Phil Murphy on January 8, 2026, directed the New Jersey Commissioner of Education to develop K–12 guidelines on device restrictions, and require local boards of education to adopt aligned policies.

These guidelines, released on January 15, 2026, are meant to assist local school boards as they adopt bell-to-bell policies banning student use of cell phones and other internet-enabled devices during the school day. Chapter 195 requirements must take effect with the start of the 2026–2027 school year. This means that districts must have policies in place by the start of the academic year, but these policies can be tailored thereafter as long as they meet the state’s minimum standards.

At a minimum, school district policies must provide age-appropriate and grade-level differentiated guidelines concerning limiting and prohibiting non-academic use of internet-enabled devices on school grounds during the school day. These policies must be consistent with federal and state law, including accommodations given to students with disabilities, and must abide by student’s IEP, 504, or health plan. The policies must also permit use of cell phones in case of emergency or in response to perceived threat of danger and authorize device use during the school day in the following circumstances: (1) if the use is authorized by a superintendent or principal, for a necessary specified purpose, which shall be authorized only when no reasonable alternative exists; (2) if the use is necessary for the provision and administration of a student’s prescribed care consistent with the submission by a parent or guardian of documentation from a health care professional; (3) for translation services; (4) on a case-by-case basis when a student serves as a caregiver and is routinely responsible for the well-being of a family member, following administration review and approval ; and (5) when required by law.

Schools have flexibility in how they implement these cell phone bans — whether through storage boxes or pouches, cubbies or lockers, or supervision procedures.

1. What Can School Districts Not Do?

While schools can confiscate phones to enforce these rules, that authority doesn’t give administrators free reign to search students’ personal information. In public schools, the Fourth Amendment applies to searches and seizures by school officials, but is balanced against the school’s role in maintaining order and discipline.

Under the longstanding New Jersey v. T.L.O. standard – where the State Supreme Court held that public school officials don’t need a warrant or probable cause to search a student if they have “reasonable suspicion” — school officials may conduct a warrantless search if they have reasonable suspicion that a student has violated a rule or poses a threat to safety or discipline. This means that while taking a phone to enforce the ban is generally permissible, searching the contents of the device typically requires a specific and justified reason connected to misconduct.

Ultimately, while schools do have the authority to impose school-wide bans on cell phone use and confiscate students’ cell phones when they violate these policies, they generally do not have the authority to search the contents of a student’s phone.

As your districts develop these policies, our office remains available to provide any consultation, input, or review to ensure full compliance with law and Commissioner of Education guidelines.