Princeton Public Schools students will have to put their cellphones down.
A bell-to-bell ban on students’ use of cellphones during the school day is being implemented for the 2026-27 school year. The school board gave final approval to a policy that restricts the use of cellphones at its Aug. 18 meeting.
The policy brings the school district into line with a new state law and guidelines developed by the state Commissioner of Education for internet-enabled devices, school district officials said.
The policy defines “bell to bell” as the timeframe when the bell rings at the start of the school day until the dismissal bell rings at the end of the school day. It includes lunch and the time between class periods.
Internet-enabled devices include smartphones, tablets, smartwatches, smart glasses and any other device that is capable of connecting to the internet, according to the policy. It includes social media applications.
Students who bring cellphones and other internet-enabled devices must turn them off and place them in a storage system. The devices must be password-protected by the student, so only he or she can use it.
Laptops, tablets and learning management systems issued to students by the school district for educational purposes in the classroom are exempt from the policy.
There are other exceptions to the policy, such as the use of an internet-connected device by students with special needs, if it is necessary to fulfill their individualized education program (IEP) or 504 plan.
The device can be used for translation services or to implement a student health plan that monitors or addresses a student’s health condition, provided there is documentation to support its use.
A student who is a caregiver and responsible for the care or well-being of a family member also is permitted to have a cellphone during school hours.
