District policy · 2026-2027
Elizabeth Board of Education
Union County · K-12 district · Grades K-12
Last verified · policy year 2026-2027 · policy 6142.11 · adopted August 25, 2022
Stricter than the state
Read this entry with one caveat
Before and after the instructional day, use is permitted “provided such use does not create a distraction or disruption”, but students taking part in a before- or after-school activity may not use devices without the approval of the staff member in charge. Recorded as stricter than the state minimum because it also bars device use at school-sponsored events, which extends past the school day. The policy was first adopted 25 August 2022 and revised 21 July 2026; Elizabeth numbers it 6142.11 rather than the Strauss Esmay 5516 most districts use.
Period by period
1 of 6 not yet verifiedEach 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
- Not yet verified
- We have not found a source that states this district's rule for this period. We have not guessed one.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 oneClassroom storage
Phones go into a caddy, pocket chart or box inside the classroom.
"Cell phones and devices must be checked in the classroom upon arrival and stored securely for the duration of the school day." K-5 students are told not to bring devices at all.
By grade: Implementation differs between K-5 and 6-12; K-5 students are told not to bring a device to school.
What happens if the rule is broken
We have not found this district’s stated consequences. Not yet verified
Asking for an exception
The statute names what a policy must accommodateIEP, 504 plan and health-plan accommodations are noted by the special education supervisor or health coordinator. Students with jobs or caregiving duties “should make all plans prior to the school day” but may access a phone in the front office with administrator permission. Emergency use is permitted at any time. Externally monitored GPS tracking devices are permitted.
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 summarisedTo achieve this, during the school day, bell-to-bell, students are restricted from unauthorized access to and use of their personal devices. The instructional day includes, but is not limited to, lunch break, class changes, and any other structured or non-structured instructional activity that occurs during the normal school day.
Elizabeth Board of Education · read · Open the document
Everything else on this page is our reading of Elizabeth 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.
The highlighted words are the district’s, not ours. They are the periods the statute never names, and this district wrote one of them into its own rule.s.2.b(2)
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
Cell Phone and Personal Electronic Device Policy, File Code 6142.11
Elizabeth Board of Education · Revised July 21, 2026 · checked
School events: Students may not use cell phones or other devices at school-sponsored events.
District decisionCorroborating source · reporting, not an official document
New Cell Phone / Personal Electronic Device Policy
Elizabeth Public Schools · checked