"Berkeley High School teacher Hasmig Minassian has already instituted a cellphone ban, requiring her students to place their devices in pouches each class period. Berkeley Unified is currently working on a districtwide policy, which must be in place by July 2026 to comply with state law. Those are the central questions facing Berkeley Unified School District (BUSD) as it grapples with updating its mobile-device guidelines to adhere with a new state requirement."
"California Gov. Gavin Newsom signed AB 3216, also known as the Phone-Free School Act, in fall 2024 to address the potential negative impacts of excessive cellphone use among teens, including reduced attention in classrooms. The law requires all school districts in the state to limit or prohibit students' use of smartphones, and imposed a deadline of July 2026 for them to develop and adopt policies. California is one of 26 states with laws restricting or banning student cellphones at schools."
"BUSD's current policy allows students to use mobile devices on campus during non-instructional time. The district's updated policy, which is still in the draft stage, is more specific: It would require students in all grade levels to turn off their smartphones and mobile devices during instructional time, while imposing stricter rules for younger students. Specifically, students in preschool through fifth grade would be required to power off their mobile devices during the entire school day."
Berkeley Unified School District is updating mobile-device guidelines to comply with AB 3216, which requires districts to limit or prohibit student smartphone use and sets a July 2026 deadline. Berkeley High teacher Hasmig Minassian has implemented a classroom ban using pouches each period. Current BUSD policy permits device use during non-instructional time. The draft district policy would require students to power off smartphones during instructional time, with preschool through fifth graders powering off for the entire school day. California is among 26 states with student cellphone restrictions. Evidence on academic impacts is limited, though a Florida study found test-score gains after bans were enforced.
Read at www.berkeleyside.org
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