Marin schools proactive on state cellphone restrictions

A state bill to restrict cellphone use in schools just became law, but most Marin schools are already ahead of the game.

Gov. Gavin Newsom signed sign Assembly Bill 3216, the Phone-Free Schools Act, on Monday. The law requires school districts to enact smartphone restrictions by July 1, 2026, and review policies every five years.

California is the latest state to approve such restrictions, behind Florida, Indiana, Louisiana, South Carolina and Ohio.

“Access to cellphones during the school day can be disruptive to learning and social development,” said John Carroll, Marin superintendent of schools, who supported the legislation.

Carroll said the “legislation and its authorization for local education agencies to develop policy that best meets the unique needs of their community appears to be an effective way to address these well-known concerns.”

A majority of Marin school districts are requiring students to place their cellphones or smartwatches either in caddies hanging on classroom walls or in their backpacks or lockers during class, administrators say.

The backpacks and locker storage method is being used mostly at elementary school districts that have middle schools, such as the Ross Valley, Reed Union, Miller Creek and Mill Valley school districts, according to administrators.

“We recognize the need for parents to monitor their child’s after-school activities, so students are permitted to bring cellular devices to school,” said Kimberly McGrath, the Reed Union superintendent. “However, cellular devices must be turned off during the school day and remain out of sight in the student’s backpack and locker.”

McGrath said violations of the cellphone policies are taken seriously.

“If students need to contact parents during the school day, students should request permission from their teacher or office staff to call from the school office,” McGrath said. “Consequences for students who violate our personal mobile device policy may result in the personal device being taken and kept in the office until dismissal.”

Two or more violations will require a parent to retrieve their child’s personal mobile device from the school office, McGrath said.

“When parents need to reach their student during school hours, they are asked to contact the school office,” she said.

At the Mill Valley School District, “cell phones and smartwatches are to be turned off and kept in backpacks, not pockets, starting at 8:35 a.m. and at all times during the school day,” a school handbook states. “Headphones and-or wireless earbuds are not allowed unless being used under teacher supervision with the MVSD iPads.”

Tyler Graff, superintendent at the Ross Valley School District, said students at White Hill Middle School in Fairfax appear to be complying with the backpack storage plan.

“Currently, White Hill has an ‘off and away’ policy where students keep their cellphones in their backpacks and do not bring them out during the school day,” Graff said.

Unlike Marin middle schools that require the cellphones to be stored in backpacks, Marin high schools are using caddies with open pockets that hang on classroom walls to stash the phones, said Tamalpais Union High School District superintendent Tara Taupier.

“Our current policy requires teachers to collect all cellphones at the start of each class period,” Taupier said. “Teachers have the discretion to have students use cellphones for educational purposes during class time, but other than that, phones are kept in phone caddies during instructional time.”

Tam Union trustees have been discussing whether to replace the caddies with individual locking pouches for each student. No decision on that approximately $137,000 purchase is expected until after the Nov. 5 elections, when the district has Measure B, a $289 million facilities bond measure, on the ballot.

Superintendents Tracy Smith at the Novato Unified School District and Adam Jennings at the Shoreline Unified School District, along with Christina Perrino, communications director for San Rafael City Schools, all said their high schools are also using a caddy method.

“Terra Linda High and San Rafael High School prohibit the use of cellphones during class time,” Perrino said. “Each classroom has a cellphone storage caddy that students use as they enter the classroom. Students must have their cellphones stored in the phone caddy for the entirety of class.”

The San Rafael high schools permit students to use cellphones during “brunch, lunch and passing periods,” Perrino added.

“If parents and families need to contact their child for urgent matters, we have asked them to contact the school office,” she said.