What the words actually mean

These are in the law itself, at N.J.S.A. 18A:36-40a. Changing any of them takes the Legislature.^s.1

1. Internet-enabled device

   State law

   A smartphone, tablet, smartwatch, or other device capable of connecting to the internet and letting the user access online content, including social media applications. It does not include a non-internet-enabled device, or an internet-enabled device provided by a public school when used for educational purposes.^s.1

   The exclusion at the end is the important part: a district-issued laptop used for schoolwork is not what the statute is regulating. NJDOE's FAQs add smart glasses to the examples and say the list is not exhaustive.

2. Non-internet-enabled device

   State law

   A cell phone or other communication device that cannot connect to the internet or access online content. The guidance gives basic flip-style phones and two-way radios as examples.^{s.1Key Terms}

   This sits outside the statutory definition of the device being restricted. The statute separately requires the guidelines to address devices with only text or voice, so it is a category the law noticed rather than one it forgot. But what any particular district does about it is a district decision, and we cannot tell you your school's answer.

3. Board of education

   State law

   A board of education as defined in N.J.S.18A:18A-2, a board of trustees of a charter school, and a board of trustees of a renaissance school project.^s.1

   Charter schools and renaissance school projects are covered on the same terms as any other district.

4. Public school

   State law

   A school under college grade operated by the governing body of a school district, charter school, or renaissance school project.^s.1

These are in the Commissioner’s guidance, not in the statute. The Commissioner can revise them.

1. Bell-to-bell

   State guidance

   The timeframe from the bell at the start of the school day until the dismissal bell at the end of the academic day. Bell-to-bell includes time in between class periods and lunch.^{Key TermsQ2}

   This is the single most consequential sentence in either document, and it is a glossary entry in the guidance rather than anything in the statute. The second sentence is what reaches lunch and passing time.

2. District-managed tools

   State guidance

   School-issued technology or platforms used for educational purposes: laptops, tablets, learning management systems.^{Key TermsQ11}

   These are unaffected by the restriction and are what the guidance points students towards, for example listening to music on a district-issued laptop rather than a phone.

3. Digital citizenship

   State guidance

   The guidance defines it as developing thoughtful, empathetic citizens who can wrestle with ethical questions where technology meets people: using technology to improve communities, engaging respectfully online, checking whether sources are valid, and respecting different ideas.^{Key Terms}

   Instruction on digital citizenship is required alongside the restriction at every grade band, not instead of it.