On Jan. 8, Governor Phil Murphy visited Ramsey High School in Bergen County to sign a bipartisan bill requiring all public K-12 school districts to restrict cell phone use “bell-to-bell.” Murphy first announced his intention of phone-free schools during his State of the State address in 2025.
According to nj.gov, Murphy explained, “By getting rid of needless distractions, we are fundamentally changing our schools’ learning environments and encouraging our children to be more attentive and engaged during the school day. This is a sensible policy that will make a world of difference for our children.”
This bill mandates that the state commissioner of education publish guidelines for school districts regarding restrictions on cell phone use in classrooms, school buses and during school-sponsored events. Boards of education will be required to adopt policies aligned with the statewide guidelines. The guidelines will ensure that staff will be trained, enforcement will be consistent and that every student will benefit from fewer distractions. District policies will go into effect for the 2026-2027 school year.
According to Assistant Principal Jacqueline Spring, the current regulations on phone use at WHS have been implemented to support student well-being. “We want kids to be able to focus on academic pursuits in their classroom spaces,” she explained. “Our current plan really emphasizes that; by restricting use within class periods, we really want to preserve the teaching and learning that needs to happen, free of distractions.”
One of the biggest debates surrounding the new bill stems from concern about emergency situations where students are unable to exit their classrooms. The bill does not provide explicit guidance on whether phones should be accessible during that time.
Brown University student and WHS alum Calvin Woodruff was on campus during the shooting in December and believes access to phones during emergencies is critical. “During the shooting, campus-wide group chats alerted the community of the gunman’s location, which saved students from accidentally walking towards life-threatening danger,” Woodruff said. “Having access to our phones during this shooting quite literally saved lives.”
Spring said, “We want you to rely on the information and guidance that you’re getting from administration, whether you’re in school or out. But I know it’s a real concern, and I would anticipate in my reading of the law that there will be a need to address security issues and fear of threats.”
Sworn into office on Jan. 20, Governor Mikie Sherrill is expected to move the bill forward. In a statement to nj.gov, Sherrill said, “I look forward to implementing this important legislation and continuing to make progress on kids’ online safety.”
As statewide guidelines are developed, boards of education will have time to adapt their policies for the upcoming school year, while students, educators and families continue to weigh the benefits of fewer classroom distractions against ongoing concerns about safety during emergencies.