When can you actually use your phone?

Every period is listed below, in order.

1. Outside the bells

   On the school bus

   Allowed

   Yes, unless your district restricts it. Devices must be stored once the school day begins.^Q14

   State guidanceIssued by the Commissioner of Education under the statute. Revisable by NJDOE without new legislation.

   This is allowed by state guidance, but your district may restrict it in its own policy, so check your own school's rules.

   Why this one is disputed

   The bus is unstructured, unsupervised-by-teacher time, and phone use there is permitted by default. This sits awkwardly beside the prohibition during on-campus lunch.

2. Outside the bells

   Before the first bell

   Allowed

   You may use your phone on school grounds before the opening bell. The restriction begins when the bell rings, not when you arrive.^Q2

   State guidanceIssued by the Commissioner of Education under the statute. Revisable by NJDOE without new legislation.

   This is allowed by state guidance, but your district may restrict it in its own policy, so check your own school's rules.

   We do not dispute this one. It is here because the rules for it are easy to get wrong, not because we think it should change.

3. Instruction

   Class time

   Not allowed

   No, unless an administrator has authorised it because no reasonable alternative exists. District-issued laptops and school platforms are unaffected.^s.2.b(2)Q11

   State lawEnacted by the Legislature. Changing this requires new legislation.

   Your district can only make this stricter. Nothing in the statute lets a board allow more than the state guidelines do.

   We do not dispute this one. It is here because the rules for it are easy to get wrong, not because we think it should change.

4. Not instruction

   Passing time between classes

   Not allowed

   No. Devices must stay off and stored between classes, even though no instruction is happening.^Q8

   State guidanceIssued by the Commissioner of Education under the statute. Revisable by NJDOE without new legislation.

   Your district can only make this stricter. Nothing in the statute lets a board allow more than the state guidelines do.

   Why this one is disputed

   The statute directs guidelines that prohibit non-academic use during the school day, and never mentions passing time. The prohibition here comes from NJDOE's bell-to-bell reading, which the Commissioner can revise without new legislation.

5. Not instruction

   Study hall

   Not allowed

   No. Study hall is named alongside lunch and passing time as a period when devices must stay stored.^Q8

   State guidanceIssued by the Commissioner of Education under the statute. Revisable by NJDOE without new legislation.

   Your district can only make this stricter. Nothing in the statute lets a board allow more than the state guidelines do.

   Why this one is disputed

   Study hall is supervised time set aside for independent work, not instruction. Where a school allows music during independent work, NJDOE directs students to district-issued devices rather than their own.

6. Not instruction

   Lunch

   Not allowed

   Not on campus. If your school has an open lunch and you leave campus, you may use your phone while you are off campus, but it must be stored again when you return.^Q8Q15

   State guidanceIssued by the Commissioner of Education under the statute. Revisable by NJDOE without new legislation.

   Your district can only make this stricter. Nothing in the statute lets a board allow more than the state guidelines do.

   Why this one is disputed

   The central dispute. A lunch period is not academic time, and the statute never mentions lunch. NJDOE permits phone use during off-campus lunch but not on-campus lunch, a distinction based on where a student is standing rather than on whether instruction is occurring.

7. Outside the bells

   After the dismissal bell

   Allowed

   Yes. The bell-to-bell window ends at dismissal, so you may use your phone afterwards unless your district's policy extends further.^Q2

   State guidanceIssued by the Commissioner of Education under the statute. Revisable by NJDOE without new legislation.

   This is allowed by state guidance, but your district may restrict it in its own policy, so check your own school's rules.

   We do not dispute this one. It is here because the rules for it are easy to get wrong, not because we think it should change.

8. Outside the bells

   Clubs, practice and after-school activities

   Allowed

   Yes for activities outside the school day, unless your district restricts it. Clubs that meet during the school day, including during a lunch period, are still covered by the restriction.^Q10

   State guidanceIssued by the Commissioner of Education under the statute. Revisable by NJDOE without new legislation.

   This is allowed by state guidance, but your district may restrict it in its own policy, so check your own school's rules.

   We do not dispute this one. It is here because the rules for it are easy to get wrong, not because we think it should change.

9. Any time

   During an emergency

   Depends: follow staff direction

   The statute requires every district policy to address emergencies and perceived threats of danger. In practice this means following staff direction: during a lockdown, students are told to avoid unnecessary communication unless directed otherwise. Families are asked to contact the main office rather than the student.^{s.2.b(4)Emergency CommunicationsQ5}

   State lawEnacted by the Legislature. Changing this requires new legislation.

   The statute makes every district write a rule for this, but it does not write the rule, so what applies in an emergency is set by your district, not by the State.

   We do not dispute this one. It is here because the rules for it are easy to get wrong, not because we think it should change.