New Bill To Ban Cellphones Signed Into Law By Gov. Murphy

By Sophie Nieto-Muñoz | New Jersey Monitor

New Jersey public school districts will be required to bar their students from using cellphones and other smart devices during school hours under a bill signed into law by Gov. Phil Murphy Thursday.

Murphy, a Democrat whose second term ends on Jan. 20, had made banning phones during class a priority of his final year in office. He signed the bill during a ceremony in Ramsey High School, where classrooms have been phone-free for a year already.

Murphy said that within four months of Ramsey High School’s cellphone ban, nearly 80% of teachers reported increased engagement in class and a majority of the faculty observed greater student-to-student interaction, fewer classroom distractions, and more attentive students.

“When you talk to educators and parents in school districts that have enacted similar cellphone bans, you will often hear the same thing. Students are more focused, they’re less anxious, and they are socializing and laughing with each other, not through a screen, but in the hallways and classrooms. So with the legislation I’m signing today, we’re going to fundamentally improve the learning environment for every K-through-12 student by requiring every school district to follow the lead of campuses just like this one,” he said.

Under the new law, the state’s education commission will be required to develop guidelines on restricting the use of cellphones and other internet-enabled devices during regular school hours, on a bus, or during certain school-sanctioned events. Boards of education will then be required to adopt policies consistent with the state guidelines.

The state guidelines will be required to be written within 90 days so the new policies can go into place by the start of the 2026-27 school year.

Students will be able to use their phones in case of an emergency, for translation services, and in cases where the school receives documentation from a health care professional indicating that access to a phone is necessary.

Principals and administrators will also be allowed to make reasonable accommodations for students to use phones for educational purposes.

Bill sponsor Assemblywoman Rosy Bagolie (D-Essex) is the school superintendent in East Newark, where students have had to surrender their cellphones during the school day for the last five years.

“I’ve heard it from students about the state, that even though it’s hard to let go of the device, that they are thankful for the time that they have in school that they don’t have to worry about it anymore. That they don’t have to compete for the attention. That they don’t have to compete with news of what’s happening in the moment,” Bagolie said.

About 16 states have approved “bell-to-bell” cellphone bans in classrooms.

Gov.-elect Mikie Sherrill, who takes office at noon on Jan. 20, commended Murphy for signing the bill. During her campaign for governor, Sherrill also said she wanted to limit phones in schools.

“Our young people are facing a mental health crisis — but, we all know that when children put the screens down, their mental health and academic results improve,” Sherrill said in a statement. “I look forward to implementing this important legislation and continuing to make progress on kids’ online safety and holding Big Tech accountable for the content they push toward our kids.”

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