Not instruction
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.
The passage that governs this period
Quoted, not summarisedHowever, this also means that students are permitted to use their personal internet-enabled devices for after-school or before-school activities, before a sports practice, or at any other time outside of the regular school hours when they may be on school grounds unless the school district’s policy further restricts student access to internet-enabled devices.
Where this answer comes from
Every one links to the originalNew Jersey Department of Education, Guidance for Schools on Student Use of Internet-Enabled Devices: Frequently Asked Questions, July 2026, Q2