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There’s A New Phone Ban In Florida Schools
August 11, 2025
There are new state laws in place governing cell phone usage in public schools.
Beginning with the 2025-2026 school year, a total ban has been implemented statewide on cell phone use for elementary and middle school students during school hours — essentially from bell to bell for grades K-8.
High school students are generally allowed to use their phones outside of class, but not during instructional time unless “expressly directed by a teacher solely for educational purposes”.
Students will be allowed to use their phones, however, for documented medical conditions or disabilities.
“It is a law, and it’s something we are going to make certain we adhere to,” Escambia County Public Schools Superintendent Keith Leonard said.
Escambia County looked at Yondr pouches to control phone usage, but they were found to be cost prohibitive. Yondr is a pouch that locks phones inside.
Pictured below: We were there when Escambia County (FL) Public Schools Superintendent Keith Leonard visited Flomaton High School last year to learn about Yondr pouches for locking away cell phones during the school day. Escambia County, Florida, ultimately determined the pouches were too expensive. NorthEscambia.com photos, click to enlarge.
Comments
5 Responses to “There’s A New Phone Ban In Florida Schools”
@alke… it is hilarious….. this is for STUDENTS!!!!!! Not TEACHERS teaching CLASSES!
If you have issues, call the school!
Most all phone are on silent now…. teachers will mostly not know
Another waste of time by our WONDERFUL ( IDIOT)STATE SCHOOL BOARD!
We are so happy to have this implemented. It is way over due. Now it is time to implement the same for teachers. No usage during class time. Our son has told us about numerous teachers being on their phone when they should have been teaching.
My daughter just graduated a year early. She was taught from the start that a cell phone is a tool and tools can be misused. She didn’t even get a smart phone until she could pay for it by having a job. I never had any trouble keeping her off of it and I didn’t have to discipline her to not use it during school. Teach them early, remind them often. It starts at home. If you allow them to be numb while a phone is in their face, they’ll grow up to be adults who can’t function without it. These children having 24/7 access to a smart phone is not going to have pleasant results. It makes me sad. My nieces and nephews can’t go 10 minutes without playing on a phone and I rarely see them playing outside anymore or being creative.
It’s about time. Kids need to learn how to live their lives without a smart phone in their hand.
The cell phone was written passed by both houses of Congress and signed by the Governor. Now it is up to the county superintendents, principals and teachers to make it happen. Discipline has taken a back seat in the public education sector over the past several years. This is a chance to right the ship.