What will New Jersey’s new cell phone ban mean for schools, students, and parents?

As devices have become an integral part of society and a staple in the lives of students across the nation, New Jersey’s new school cell phone ban has caused concern amongst parents and raises questions on how schools will adapt to these changes.

Jeanette Butkus-Palermo is a mom of two children in Camden County, and after a recent surge in school tragedies, she is worried about the safety and well-being of her children while at school. Especially if her children don’t have access to their cell phones.

“I think the reason we allowed our kids to get cell phones when they entered middle school was the safety piece,” said Butkus-Palermo. “I don’t know if they’re going to be in the cell phone bag, so that is a concern, because that was partially why we were motivated to give them a cell phone in the first place.”

Butkus-Palermo gave her children cell phones for safety, so when former Gov. Phil Murphy signed a bill into law that places a bell-to-bell cell phone ban in schools across New Jersey, Butkus-Palermo and other parents across the state are concerned.

Her youngest, an 8th grader at Voorhees Middle School, uses her phone to play music during study hall, as a way to de-stress and cope with sensory issues during a break. Her oldest, a junior at Eastern Regional High School, simply thinks the rule is unfair as she had her phone all throughout high school and has succeeded academically, according to Butkus-Palermo.

Parents, students, teachers and schools across New Jersey are divided as they face a newly signed law that limits cell phone usage in K-12 schools beginning in September 2026.

While the bill doesn’t directly put a ban on cell phone usage in classrooms across New Jersey, it requires districts to develop policies to keep cell phones out of classrooms during the school day.

The bill was introduced in October 2024, passed by the legislature, and signed into law by Murphy at Ramsey High School in January. 

The Ramsey School District, located in Bergen County, has had phone restrictions across its schools for over a year, and Dr. Andrew Matteo, the district’s superintendent, has seen the results. 

“We’ve done some internal surveys, and the data come back overwhelmingly positive,” said Matteo. “Kids are more engaged, there’s more face-to-face discussions, there’s more interactions, and not only in the classroom, but in the hallway. So that has been just a home run.”

Ramsey’s cell phone restrictions started back in January 2025, when Ramsey High School began using Yondr, a pouch made to restrict cell use in phone-free locations. 

The parents of Ramsey students may be adjusted to the ban now, but there was slight concern when the ban first took effect, resulting in two or three parents contacting the principal of the school, according to Matteo. 

To ease nerves, Matteo and the Ramsey District partnered with the local police department.

“The police chief wrote a letter of support that we were able to share with the whole community…that he supports [the policy],” said Matteo. “So once we had that, it was the human moot point in our community. It never arose.”

Ramsey isn’t the only district in New Jersey with a policy limiting the use of cell phones in school.

The Cherry Hill School District is the home to over 10,000 K-12 students. Comprising 18 schools and over 1,700 employees, the district is one of the largest in the state. 

Before the 2024-2025 school year, the district launched a “wireless communication device policy” that keeps students’ phones in their backpacks or lockers, and the superintendent of the district, Dr. Kwame Morton, has seen the results. 

“What we’ve seen is that you have kids who are much more apt to engage with one another. It definitely has been a decrease in incidents that would have taken place via communication,” said Morton. “We’ve seen in the past that conflicts have risen and intensified through this communication, but seems to have greatly diminished as a result of the policy that we were able to put into place.”

Unlike Ramsey, the Cherry Hill School District doesn’t require locking devices for cell phones throughout the school day. Instead, students are instructed to keep their phones in their backpacks or lockers and can access them during break periods. This also allows students to communicate with their parents in case of an emergency, which played a key role in making the policy.

“That was definitely a relevant concern that we heard… And that influenced the approach that we took,” said Morton. “The approach was you can maintain the phone on your person, you just can’t use it during the most important time, which is the instructional time.”

The policy has been in use for two years, but with Murphy’s new ban, it will have to see some changes. As the 2026-2027 school year approaches, the district is weighing on what the next steps should be. 

“We’ll be deciding that in the next coming month, and we’ll figure out our pathway forward, but we’ll make sure that we align with the law,” said Morton. 

As schools weigh their options and work towards obeying the law, members of the New Jersey School Board Association say the changes are worth the effect.

“The pros certainly outweigh the cons,” said Jonathan Pushman, the senior director of advocacy at the New Jersey School Board Association.  “Minor concerns at this point are certainly outweighed by the advantages in terms of reducing student distraction, advancing student achievement, and getting them to be more focused.”

Like educators and government officials, Pushman has heard the concerns of students and parents, but he emphasizes that it is too early to measure the impact and success of the ban.

“We’re all interested to see how this plays out, because the law doesn’t go into full effect until the beginning of the next school year,” said Pushman. “From what we’ve heard from other states and districts who have taken action on this prior to the bill being signed, is that there’s some initial pushback, but once the policies are put in place, it seems to be something that the parents, students, and staff all find to be a success.”

This article is written by Katie Thorn, courtesy of the NJ State House News Service