District policy · 2026-2027
Monmouth County Vocational School District
Monmouth County · County vocational district
Last verified · policy year 2026-2027 · policy 5516
Read this entry with one caveat
The most explicit district document in this tracker. Monmouth County Vocational publishes a scenario table that answers each situation directly: classroom No, lunch No, between classes and hallways No, before and after school Yes, school buses Yes, off-campus lunch and internships Yes. Study hall is the one period the table does not name, which is why it is recorded here as unverified.
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 yet verified
- We have not found a source that states this district's rule for this period. We have not guessed one.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.
Devices "must be powered off and stored out of sight in a locker, backpack, or other secure bag. Devices may be also be stored in In-class Storage Systems managed by the instructor or a building developed storage system. Devices may not be stored in a pocket of clothing."
What happens if the rule is broken
A progressive discipline model. The district directs families to each school's student handbook and to Regulation 5516 for the warnings, confiscation protocol and parent contact steps.
Asking for an exception
The statute names what a policy must accommodate“Exceptions are strictly protected by state and federal law.” The listed grounds are an IEP, a 504 plan, a student health plan (the district's example is continuous glucose monitoring for diabetes), and essential translation services. Decisions are handled individually and confidentially through the appropriate planning team. Emergency access requires the permission of the Chief School Administrator or the principal or designee.
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 summarised“Bell-to-bell” describes the timeframe from the morning homeroom/start bell until the final dismissal bell. During these hours, students' personal internet-enabled devices must be powered off and completely stored away (locker, backpack, purse, etc.).
Monmouth County Vocational School District · read · Open the document
Everything else on this page is our reading of Monmouth County Vocational School District’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
“Bell-to-Bell” Internet-Enabled Device Policy FAQ
Monmouth County Vocational School District · checked
Before/After School — Yes — Permitted on school grounds before the start of the day and on school grounds after the regular school day. School Busses — Yes — Permitted on school bus to and from school. Off-Campus (Lunch, Internships) — Yes — Permitted when off school grounds, however must be powered off and stored for the remainder of the school day upon return.
District decisionCorroborating source · reporting, not an official document
Policy 5516: Student Use of Internet Enabled Devices
Monmouth County Vocational School District · checked