By MAURICE IMHOFF
Contributing Writer
As students return to classrooms across Michigan this week, they are also returning under new statewide restrictions on cell phones and other personal wireless devices. Gov. Gretchen Whitmer signed bipartisan legislation in February requiring Michigan public schools and charter schools to prohibit students from using wireless communication devices during instructional time beginning with the 2026-27 school year. The law does not require every school district to have the same policy, leaving districts able to establish their own rules as long as they meet the state requirements. Exceptions are also included for emergencies, medical needs and certain educational purposes.
That means the rules can look different from one school district to another. Hanover-Horton School District, for example, is not allowing elementary students to use personal devices during the school day. Middle school students must keep devices in their lockers, while high school students may briefly check their phones at their lockers between classes and use them during lunch. Western School District has also adopted guidelines in response to the new state requirements, while Jackson Public Schools has established its own electronic device policy for the school year.
A Northwest Community Schools teacher, who asked not to be identified, said students there may keep their phones with them, but the devices must remain put away and out of the teacher’s view during class. The teacher believes limiting phones during instructional time does help students focus and learn but said there are practical concerns as well. Students sometimes need information from family during the day, including changes to after-school activities. Allowing students to keep their phones with them also means they remain accessible in an emergency rather than being confined to a locker.
The new state law focuses on instructional time rather than requiring phones to be locked away for the entire school day. Districts can go further, which is why a student at one school may be allowed to carry a phone while a student elsewhere may have to leave it in a locker. For students, teachers and parents, some adjustment will likely come with the new rules as schools determine how they work in everyday situations. What is consistent across Michigan this school year is that once class begins, personal phone use is now restricted by state law.
