Governor’s Office releases model cell phone policy for Ohio school districts

OHIO (WSAZ) – Ohio Gov. Mike DeWine and Lt. Gov. Jon Husted are tackling the issue of cell phone usage during school hours. Before the start of the 2025-2026 academic year, all schools in the state of Ohio will be required to have a policy that addresses cell phone usage.

Husted says students could benefit from an elimination of cell phone usage during school hours.

“We don’t want to see it in high school, junior high, or grade schools. There is no place for smart phones to dominate the school landscape,” Husted said. “The good news is that many school districts have already done this, and they’ve given us strong evidence about how helpful this is.”

The state recently sent out a model cell phone policy to all school districts. The policy can be adopted in its entirety or school districts can amend it to fit the specific needs of their students and parents.

Ohio’s model policy says students shall keep their cell phones in a secure place, such as the student’s locker, a closed backpack, or a storage device provided by the district. The policy also includes steps for disciplinary action if a student does not comply with the policy.

– Give the student a verbal warning and require the student to store the student’s cell phone in accordance with this policy.

– Securely store the student’s cell phone in a teacher- or administrator-controlled locker, bin, or drawer for the duration of the class or period.

– Place the student’s cell phone in the school’s central office for the remainder of the school day.

– Place the student’s cell phone in the school’s central office to be picked up by the student’s parent or guardian.

– Schedule a conference with the student’s parent or guardian to discuss the student’s cell phone use.

“No parents want to have the burden to tell their child ‘no’ when other parents are telling their children ‘yes.’ No child wants to be left out when other children have it. But when you say, ‘Hey, 8:00 to 3:00, we’re going to have a smart phone free zone,’ everybody buys in and it works really well,” Husted said. “When you talk to educator who have banned cell phones in schools, what they’ve found is that they’ve seen academic performance go up, they see disciplinary issues go down such as bullying and fighting. Overall school culture improves where kids are talking to one another, lunch rooms are loud again and we’re really developing the kind of school interactions that you’re supposed to have.”

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