Students In These San Diego Classrooms Will Have To Put Phones Away In August

SAN DIEGO, CA — Students of San Diego Unified Schools will be denied cell phones for the majority of their day, the SDUSD school board decided this week.

The board intends its decision, made Tuesday night at its board meeting, will limit the use of phones except emergencies, for health-related purposes, and/or instructional use explicitly authorized by teachers.

"Limiting the use of phones during the school day creates focused learning environments where students can fully engage with their education and build meaningful connections with their peers," said Superintendent Fabiola Bagula.

The change will take effect on the first day of school, August 11. A similar ban was implemented in the Los Angeles Unified School District in February.

It comes before California's Phone-Free School Act, signed into law by Gov. Gavin Newsom last year, is slated to go into effect on July 1, 2026.

The SDUSD policy is ahead of the game, developed in anticipation of upcoming state law and "establishes guidelines designed to reduce interruptions to learning, foster in-person connection among peers and support healthy boundaries with technology," a district statement reads.

The policy prohibits the use of phones during school hours, depending on each school's bell schedule. Phone use is permitted before and after school on campus, and high schools will allow use of phones before the first bell, during lunch and passing periods.

"Building healthy technology behaviors starts with strong partnerships between families and schools," Bagula said. "Our new approach eliminates phones during instructional time, while equipping families with thoughtfully crafted materials and conversation starters.

"These tools will help create ongoing dialogues about mindful technology use between students, parents, and teachers. Together, we're working toward technology habits that strengthen learning, support mental health, and deepen relationships in every setting where our students learn and grow."

As a consequence for violating, students will first be issued verbal reminders, escalating to a referral to a counselor or contacting parents. Further violations may result in confiscation of phones for the remainder of the class period or delivery of the device to school administrators for pickup by parents after school. Even further violations could result in a ban from school events and extracurricular activities.