District-wide cellphone policy prohibiting use approved by SPPS Board of Education Tuesday

The St. Paul Public Schools Board of Education approved a cellphone policy for students Tuesday prohibiting their use during school hours that it will implement this fall.

Districts across the state are adopting district-wide policies on cellphone use since the Legislature mandated them last year. The deadline for districts to set school board-approved policies is March 15.

The policy states that the use of personal electronic devices will not be permitted during school hours and must either remain at home, in lockers or turned off and put away. It includes cellphones, tablets, laptops, smartwatches, gaming systems and earbuds.

“There is no such thing as a perfect policy, but I do think that we’re at a point where we’ve crafted something that answers the original question that we had of, how do we enact this law in a way that is as equitable as it can be, and rooted in the understanding that technology is here and not going away, as well as bringing in as many stakeholders as we can,” said Chair Halla Henderson.

Elementary level

The majority of SPPS schools already do not allow the use of cellphones during the entire school day, according to the district.

Currently, no SPPS elementary schools allow cellphone use during the school day and most middle schools don’t allow their use, either.

Board members did discuss allowing the use of smartwatches — some elementary students use them to navigate their way to and from school.

High school level

For the majority of high schools, some use of cellphones, such as during lunch, is permitted.

As part of the approved cellphone policy, schools can develop their own documented plans with school stakeholders for grades nine and above that must be reviewed annually.

Schools could then decide for those grade levels to allow cellphone use before and after school, between class periods or during lunch, but must have an objective of reducing their use. Electronic devices still would not be permitted during class periods, in bathrooms or in locker rooms.

Schools often share updates on cellphone practices in back-to-school materials, said Jodi Danielson, SPPS director of schools and learning and facilitator of the district’s cellphone policy workgroup, last week.

“So that’s really where parents will be able to hear about and plan for any changes that they might experience at their school,” Danielson said.

According to the policy, staff will refer to the Student Rights and Responsibilities Handbook when responding to policy violations. This can include students losing the privilege to bring devices such as cellphones to school.

Legislation

Legislation introduced in January would require that school districts’ cellphone policies, starting in the 2026-27 school year, prohibit cellphones and smartwatches for students in kindergarten through eighth grade and prohibit them in classrooms for students in grades nine through 12. It allows some exceptions, such as students with medical conditions requiring monitoring or students with individual education plans or other exceptions set by the principal.

Implementation planning for the new policy is expected to happen through the spring and summer, according to Danielson. The policy begins district-wide on Sept. 2.

See the full approved policy available on the SPPS website by going to spps.org/about/board-of-education/2025-meeting-materials.

The policy can be found by going to the Board of Education section and selecting the Feb. 18 BoardBook.

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