School districts across the state have adopted policies on student cellphone use after the Legislature mandated them last year.
With school about to begin for many districts — and already in session in some — districts are letting parents and students know what to expect regarding cellphones.
The Pioneer Press reached out to 10 of the largest public schools in Ramsey, Washington and Dakota counties — as well as Hill-Murray School, a private school in Maplewood — to get information on their policies and how to find out more.
A student with a cellphone after school dismisses for the day at Oak-Land Middle School in Lake Elmo on Wednesday, Aug. 20. Oak-Land is part of the Stillwater Area Public Schools District, where officials decided in March to adopt a phone-free school day policy starting this school year. (John Autey / Pioneer Press)
Ramsey County
Mounds View Public Schools
The Mounds View Public Schools board passed its cellphone policy in March following feedback from a cellphone advisory group, as well as surveys and community conversations.
Students in elementary schools cannot use cellphones at any time during school hours. Middle and high schoolers can use their cellphones during school hours that don’t include scheduled class time or other school-related activities, meaning phones can be out during passing times, recess or lunch.
Because of the range of student ages, discipline is based on individual situations.
To see more about the policy, go to mvpschools.org/about/news/cellphones.
North St. Paul-Maplewood Oakdale School District
At the high school level, cellphones are not allowed in any learning spaces, such as classrooms, flexible learning spaces or the school gymnasium. In those spaces, they should be away and silenced or turned off. However, students can have their phones out during passing time or at lunch.
At the middle school level, cellphones are put away during the entire school day, including lunch and passing time.
Students will have their phones taken away if they have them out during class time, and they will be returned at the end of class on the first offense. If used a second time, the device would need to be picked up at the end of the school day. With any further use, a parent would need to pick up the cellphone and administrators may schedule a meeting to come up with a support plan for the student.
The district sent out information on the cellphone policy last fall along with other back-to-school guidelines. The district doesn’t have any rules preventing students from wearing smartwatches, though there are some protocols for high schoolers to remove them during exams.
To see an example, go to north.isd622.org/about/cell-phone-policy.
Roseville Schools
District officials in Roseville Schools developed their cellphone plan at the start of the 2024-25 school year.
At the middle school level, students must keep any electronic devices other than their school-issued iPad in their locker during the entire school day, including during passing time and lunch. Earbuds can be used with teacher permission but only during class time. High schoolers can use their cellphones and other devices like tablets and headphones during their lunch period and passing time, but they must be silenced and put away during class time; teachers will have bins for storage.
Phones are confiscated if a student does not follow expectations and can be collected at the end of the day. If violations continue, the student’s family will be contacted.
To see more about policy, go to rahs.isd623.org/about/student-family-handbook and select “Electronics Policy” under the “General Information” section.
St. Paul Public Schools
St. Paul Public Schools’ policy states that the use of personal electronic devices will not be permitted during school hours and such devices must either remain at home or in lockers or be turned off and put away. That includes cellphones, tablets, laptops, smartwatches, gaming systems and earbuds.
As part of the approved cellphone policy, high schools can develop their own documented plans with school stakeholders for grades nine and above that must be reviewed annually.
While most SPPS high schools do allow cellphone use during passing time, some, such as Central Senior High School, Creative Arts Secondary and Gordon Parks High School, do not allow cellphones during any part of the school day.
To learn more about the policy, go to spps.org/families/students-rights-responsibilities.
White Bear Lake Schools
Students at White Bear Lake Schools follow a “bell-to-bell” cellphone policy, which was rolled out for the 2024-25 school year, with cellphone use allowed for high school students only during lunch and passing periods. During class time, high school students must have their phone silenced or turned off and they are placed in phone caddies at the front of the classroom. Parents can still email or message their student through school-provided laptops.
Students are given one warning before the phone is taken away for the remainder of the day and the next day and parents are contacted. If there are repeated issues, administrators may meet with the student and parents to come up with a solution.
District officials held sessions with incoming seniors to develop the policy and surveyed parents. A letter sent out to families ahead of the 2024-25 school year informed them of the district’s cellphone policy.
The policy isn’t expected to change going into this coming school year, but the high school will be adding “compliancy walks,” where members of the administration team check on classrooms to ensure staff and students are following the policy.
To see more about the policy, go to tinyurl.com/mt5u4tft.
Hill-Murray School
At Hill-Murray School in Maplewood, one of the largest private schools in the metro area with around 1,095 students, students keep their phones in Yondr pouches. The pouches magnetically lock and students are not allowed to open them again until the end of the school day.
The policy was implemented last school year and students have generally come to accept it, according to district officials. Having Yondr pouches has worked better for the district than previous cellphone rules and district officials say they have seen better behavior and performance among students.
To learn more about the policy, go to hill-murray.org/perspectives/new-cell-phone-policy/.
Dakota County
Burnsville-Eagan-Savage School District
The Burnsville-Eagan-Savage School District adopted a cellphone policy in June for its roughly 7,100 students.
Elementary and middle-school students, who account for nearly 70% of the district’s students, are prohibited from using personal electronic communication devices on school premises from the first bell to the final bell of the day, including lunch and recess.
High school students are prohibited from using their devices during instructional time, but they may be used during passing times and lunch periods, though it is discouraged.
High school students may wear smartwatches, but notifications must be silenced, and they are not allowed to use communication apps or features that are prohibited on other devices.
For students of all ages, personal electronic communication devices are to be kept in designated areas and silenced. And devices are not to be used to engage in bullying, cyberbullying, harassment or discrimination. Devices are also not to be used at any time in locker rooms or bathrooms.
To see more on the policy, go to tinyurl.com/3fusujhc.
Lakeville Schools
The school board of Lakeville Schools updated and approved cellphone policies in February.
For the more than 5,000 elementary students and roughly 2,800 middle-school students in the district, “cellphones and other personal electronic devices should remain silent and out of sight during the school day.”
For the nearly 4,000 high school students, cellphones and other personal electronic devices, including earpieces, are to remain silent and out of sight during classes. They may, however, be used “appropriately and respectfully before and after classes, in hallways, or outside of the school building when classes are not in session.”
Students of all ages are not permitted to use electronic devices in a disruptive manner or for the “transmission or viewing of inappropriate content, violation of others’ privacy rights, cheating, harassing or bullying behavior.”
Furthermore, “Students shall not record, photograph, or video other students or school employees on school property, on a school bus, or at a school-sponsored event without their permission, except for activities considered to be open to the public.”
For more information on the policy, go to tinyurl.com/mw3nb7mh.
Rosemount-Apple Valley-Eagan
Rosemount-Apple Valley-Eagan is the largest Dakota County school district with nearly 30,000 students enrolled.
In March, the district’s school board adopted a cellphone policy that codified existing practices.
Middle schools and elementary schools in the district, which account for 18,000 students, require cellphones to be off and out of sight for the instructional day, including passing time, recess, lunch and field trips.
For the roughly 9,000 high school students, cellphones are permitted before and after the instructional day, during passing times and at lunch, provided they are not used in a disruptive manner.
For students of any age in the district, cellphones are not to be used to cheat, bully or harass. Additionally, cellphones are never to be used in bathrooms or locker rooms. The district policy also extends to “other personal electronic devices” students may have.
To see an example of the policy, go to tinyurl.com/yc2yys9x.
Washington County
South Washington County Schools
South Washington County Schools policy, implemented last year, says that at the high school level, cellphones, smartwatches and other similar devices are not allowed to be used in classrooms or instructional spaces, including the media center, or during lockdowns or fire drills. They also cannot be used to take photos or videos without permission, as is the case for many districts in the metro area. However, students can use cellphones during passing time or lunch.
At the middle school level, students must keep their electronic devices — including cellphones, smartwatches, AirPods and other wearable devices capable of messaging or calls — in their lockers or the main office.
Parents are encouraged to contact the school office if they need to reach their student.
To learn more about the policy, go to sowashco.org/families/cell-phones.
Stillwater Public Schools
At Stillwater Public Schools, later school start time for high school students begins this year, the school year starts a week earlier, and no cellphones are allowed for students at school.
District officials decided in March to adopt a phone-free school day policy starting this school year. All schools in the district are phone- and device-free for all students pre-K to 12 from the first bell of the day until the last.
The policy, which covers phones, earbuds, smartwatches and other personal devices, applies to instructional time, lunch periods, recess, school-sponsored programs, events or activities, or any other time during the designated school day.
Students who bring devices to school are responsible for turning them in at their school office — or store them elsewhere, depending on the school — at the start of the day; they will be stored in a locked cabinet or lockbox until the end of the day.
If a student is seen using a phone, smartwatch, earbuds or other device during the school day, school officials will confiscate the device and store it in the school’s main office until a parent comes to school to pick it up. Repeat violations will lead to a required parent conference and a response plan.
Parents who need to contact students can call the main office and have a message relayed to the student; parents of secondary students can email their students on their school-issued devices. If a student needs to contact their parent during the school day, a phone will be available in the main office.
To learn more about the policy, go to stillwaterschools.org/our-district/school-board/district-policies/phone-free-policy.
Mary Divine and Talia McWright contributed to this report.
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