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Newark Public Schools is receiving $176,625 from the state to enforce phone-free schools and implement a “bell-to-bell” policy, aligning the state’s largest school district with a growing push in New Jersey to limit cellphone use in classrooms.
The funding, awarded through the state Education Department’s Phone-Free Schools Grant Program, is expected to help school districts purchase phone storage systems such as lockers, locked pouches, or check-in cabinets. The goal, state leaders have said, is to minimize distractions during the school day and ensure students are engaged throughout instructional hours.
The state is also awarding phone-free schools grants to 85 other school districts across the state, including charter schools in Newark, such as Maria L. Varisco-Rogers, which is receiving $1,490, and Great Oaks Legacy charter schools, receiving $9,022.
School boards of grant recipients are expected to adopt a formal policy by the end of the 2025–26 school year and those schools must enforce a “bell-to-bell” ban while maintaining flexibility to provide reasonable accommodations as appropriate, according to Michael Yaple, spokesperson for the New Jersey Department of Education.
New Jersey’s push for phone-free schools is part of a growing trend nationwide to ban cellphone use from the first bell to dismissal. It also comes after California and New York implemented similar initiatives to limit phones in school and provide funding to districts to enforce policies.
The excessive use of smartphones and social media can impact sleep, have negative effects on youth mental health, and hinder academic performance, according to recent studies. Some school districts are also seeing a boost in test scores after implementing cellphone bans.
Gov. Phil Murphy has repeatedly called for banning phones during school, and this year, the state Commission on the Effects of Social Media Usage on Adolescents issued a report that recommended a “bell-to-bell” ban on cellphones. The Commission also found that cellphones and social media can affect youth self-esteem and cause anxiety and depression.
New Jersey lawmakers are also considering a statewide ban on cellphones in schools, as school districts that received the new phone-free grant become the first to implement phone-free schools. The bill is moving through the state assembly.
In Newark, the public school district has already experimented with limiting cellphone use in recent years, with mixed reactions from educators, students, and parents.
Under the district’s existing cellphone policy, adopted in 2008, students are allowed to carry cellphones as long as they are stowed away, turned off, or kept on silent at all times during the school day, and may not be used to make calls, take photos, or videos from within the school building, unless they receive permission from a school administrator.
If a student wants to carry a cellphone during the school day, a parent or guardian must sign a written agreement acknowledging that the district assumes no responsibility for any loss or damage. The form must be on file in the school office before the device is brought to school, per the district’s policy.
Across the country, parents have raised concerns about cellphone bans, and there is evidence in other surveys that parents want their children to have a phone in school in case of an emergency. Newark Public Schools’ cellphone policy says that in the event of an emergency, administrators will direct students on when they may safely turn on a cellphone.
You can find a full list of school districts receiving the new state grant on the education department’s website.
Update: This story has been updated to include a statement from the New Jersey Department of Education.
Jessie Gómez is a reporter for Chalkbeat Newark, covering public education in the city. Contact Jessie at jgomez@chalkbeat.org.
