In May of 2024, Ohio Governor Mike DeWine signed a bipartisan bill regarding K-12 students having cell phones in the classroom. House Bill 250 requires that all school districts throughout the state create and enforce a formal cell phone policy no later than July 2025. Following shortly after signing, the Ohio Department of Education and Workforce published a model policy that illustrates policy requirements and can be used by districts as a blueprint for their individual policies. The model policy can be found here.

Though many school districts already have various cell phone policies in place, the new law will standardize these policies, as well as force districts without policies to adopt one. As school boards scramble to create new rules and weigh existing ones against the new requirements, Toledo Area Parent reached out to several districts to see what progress they were making.

Many schools currently have policies in place that closely align with the Governor’s requirements.

We have a pretty strict cell phone policy in our schools, Superintendent Dr. Adam Fineske of Ottawa Hills Local Schools said in a statement. 

“Cell phones are not allowed in any of our Elementary buildings. Grades 7 – 12 can bring them, but all classrooms have a pouch that students must deposit their phones in during class. This aligns with the new legislation.” he said.

Perrysburg School’s Director of Communications Rachel Zickar said that Perrysburg Schools has had a policy in place for some time that complies with the upcoming changes.

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Dr. Katie Peters, the Director of Communications at Washington Local Schools stated that long before the Governor’s mandate, they already had an “off and away” policy for cell phones. They only had to make minor adjustments, which already went into effect this school year.

“Enacted in 2018, this policy already meets the Governor’s expectations for electronic usage, however this school year, we did adjust the protocol used at our high school to enforce that policy,” Peters said. “Instead of just requiring students to turn them off, we are now having students place their devices in pouches at the front of each classroom as they enter. This will not only decrease the temptation to use the phone but improve academic AND social behaviors. We want our students to build community with one another through conversation and camaraderie, as well as focusing on their academic learning. Our Junior High students have always had to keep their phones locked in their lockers, but high school students do not use lockers, so an adjustment in enforcement was needed there.”

Some schools have policies in place that already exceed the new requirements.

Maumee City Schools Director of Communications Nancy Sayre outlined the current policies in place at each of their schools.

“Maumee High School’s current practice (grades 9-12) is that every teacher has a cell phone organizer on the wall in their classroom,” Sayre said. “Students are directed to place their cell phone in the organizer when they enter the classroom and are not permitted to access their phones during class or take them if they leave the room during the class period. Students who do not comply are issued demerits for failure to comply with a directive and an improper use of technology policy violation. If non-compliance persists, students must keep their cell phone in a locker outside of the classroom. MHS students are permitted to use their cell phone during class changes and lunch.

Sayre added “Maumee Middle School’s current practice (grades 6-8) is that students are directed to keep their cell phone turned off and secured in their locker throughout the school day. The only time students should have their phone with them is if it is requested by a teacher for academic purposes, which rarely occurs. If students choose not to follow this directive, consequences are issued for failure to comply with a directive and an improper use of technology policy violation.

“Maumee Intermediate School (grades 4-5) and our two elementary schools (grades K-3) prohibit the use of cell phones (as well as tablets, iPads, music devices, electronic games, smart watches, etc.) in the building during school hours. The expectation is that if students bring a cell phone to school, it will be turned off and stowed away prior to entering the school building. The only exception is when a staff member (with prior notice to parents) decides to allow students to utilize their personal device in a classroom for educational purposes, which rarely occurs. In these cases, students will have special permission to carry a device to school/in school for use only in the approved classroom. Use of a cell phone during all other times will result in confiscation and other possible consequences.”

Other schools are evaluating the policies they have in place to ensure they meet the new laws.

The Communications Coordinator at Sylvania Schools, Amy Addington, stated that they are committed to upholding the legislation by Governor DeWine and they will evaluate the cell phone and electronic device policy they have in place.

“The expectation in all of our buildings is that students’ phones and similar devices will be off and out of sight in instructional areas, which include study halls and the media center,” Addington said. “Recognizing the importance of keeping our policies up-to-date and effective, we have formed a committee to evaluate our current policy. This committee is tasked with reviewing the policy and presenting any suggested changes to the Board of Education in the spring of 2025 to ensure it continues to serve the best interests of our students, staff, and families.”

Matt Geha, Superintendent of Springfield Local Schools also pledged to update their policies to meet the new requirements.

“The district has current practices and policies, but they do need updated to meet the new requirements/law.  The district is in the process of developing a new policy to meet the Governor’s new law.  We will complete the policy this school year and have in place for the 2025/2026 school year.”

Though Toledo area schools have made varying degrees of progress towards the new laws, one thing is clear – Our local schools are on board with tightening the rules surrounding cell phones in the classroom.