District policy · 2026-2027
Closter Board of Education
Bergen County · Elementary district · Grades K-8
Last verified · policy year 2026-2027 · policy 5516 · adopted August 20, 2026
Stricter than the state
Read this entry with one caveat
Recorded as stricter than the state minimum: the prohibition reaches past dismissal to after-school clubs, practices and games, which NJDOE guidance leaves to the district's discretion.
Period by period
All 6 verified from a sourceEach row is either something this district’s own document says, or an explicit admission that we have not found it. We never infer one period from another. Passing time, lunch and study hall, the three periods the statute never mentions, are marked with an amber rule.Q8
- Class time
- Not allowed
- Phones and other personal internet-enabled devices are prohibited.Instructional time. Restricted under the statute itself.
- Passing timeNot named in the statute
- Not allowed
- Phones and other personal internet-enabled devices are prohibited.Between classes. NJDOE guidance restricts it; the statute never mentions it.
- LunchNot named in the statute
- Not allowed
- Phones and other personal internet-enabled devices are prohibited.On-campus lunch. NJDOE guidance restricts it; the statute never mentions it.
- Study hallNot named in the statute
- Not allowed
- Phones and other personal internet-enabled devices are prohibited.Study hall. NJDOE guidance restricts it; the statute never mentions it.
- School bus
- Allowed
- The policy permits device use during this period.State guidance permits phones on buses unless the district goes further. A district rule here is stricter than the state floor.
- Before and after school
- Allowed
- The policy permits device use during this period.State guidance permits phones outside the school day unless the district goes further.
How phones are stored
A local choice, not a state oneVaries by school
Different schools in the district use different storage methods.
Student storage first, with a locked pouch as the fallback: devices go in "their backpack placed in a classroom closet (K-4) or locker (K-8)", and students who do not comply are moved to option (b), where "internet-enabled devices shall be placed into secure pouches which allow students to carry their internet-enabled devices but prevent their use."
By grade: Before and after school, use is permitted on school grounds outside the school building only.
What happens if the rule is broken
First: verbal warning and the device is held until the end of the day. Second: after-school detention, parent pickup, and a mandatory parent-principal meeting. Third: two detentions plus a 30-day device check-in requirement. Fourth: extended loss of privileges and a parent conference. Fifth and beyond: for the remainder of the school year, a prohibition on bringing the device to school.
Asking for an exception
The statute names what a policy must accommodateThe statutory exceptions apply. Field trips are permitted with Superintendent approval where no reasonable alternative exists; after-school events require Principal approval.
The statute itself names circumstances a policy must accommodate, including an IEP, a 504 plan, a documented health plan, translation needs, certain caregiving responsibilities, and emergencies.s.2.b(3)-(5)
In the district’s own words
Quoted exactly, not summarisedStudents in Kindergarten through grade eight shall be prohibited from using their internet-enabled device during school-sponsored events taking place outside of the school day when students are under the direct supervision of a school staff member or employee of the Board (e.g., afterschool club meeting, sport team practice/game, etc.) except with the prior approval of the Principal or designee.
Closter Board of Education · read · Open the document
Everything else on this page is our reading of Closter Board of Education’s policy. This is the policy. We quote rather than paraphrase so you can check us against the document instead of taking our word for what it says.
Sources
1 primary, 1 corroboratingNothing on this page can be published without at least one primary source attached to it. That is enforced by the database, not by a habit.
District decisionPrimary source
Regulation 5516: Student Use of Internet-Enabled Devices
Closter Board of Education · Adopted 8/20/26 · checked
Students in Kindergarten through grade eight shall be permitted to use their internet-enabled device on a school bus on their way to school or on their way home from school at the end of the school day.
District decisionCorroborating source · reporting, not an official document
Policy 5516: Student Use of Internet-Enabled Devices
Closter Board of Education · Adopted 8/20/26 · checked