Oakland Unified School District to implement full cell phone ban

OAKLAND, Calif. - Starting the coming academic year, Oakland Unified School District students will be banned from using their cell phones during school hours.

The backstory:

Gov. Gavin Newsom in September 2024 signed Assembly Bill 3216, which requires school districts to develop policies that "limit or prohibit the use by its pupils of smartphones" while they are at school except in emergencies, at a doctor’s direction or if the students are allowed to use the phone by their teachers.

The state law allows individual districts to decide whether the cell phone ban covers the entire school day, or if students are allowed to use their phones between classes. 

The OUSD board voted in June to enforce its own "bell-to-bell" cell phone ban, which will prevent students from using their phones during or between classes and during lunch periods. Students will either have to keep their cell phones locked away or in special Yondr pouches that stay closed with magnetic locks.

Students who violate the new policy will have their devices confiscated, and repeat offenders will have their parents called to pick up confiscated devices from their children's schools.

What they're saying:

The state-mandated bans have been a hot topic of debate between parents and administrators since they were signed into law.

"My kids have watches, so they could have that at school," said Carla, a Concord parent with school-aged children. "I like to check on them here and there right after school or something, so I think they should have their phones."

"If I have an emergency and I need to contact my daughter, I can call the office and they’ll relay me to the teacher," said Richmond parent Flora Gonzalez.

What's next:

OUSD’s new policy goes into effect at the beginning of the 2026-2027 school year.

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