MICHIGAN — Gov. Gretchen Whitmer has signed legislation that prohibits K-12 students from using cell phones during instructional time in Michigan public schools. The new regulations are scheduled to take effect for the upcoming school year.
The bill package, which cleared the Senate in a 34-one vote, requires school districts to implement their own policies to restrict device use in the classroom. The legislation was in development for approximately two years before reaching the governor’s desk.
While the law bans phone use during class, students will still be permitted to have their devices during lunch periods and between classes. The legislation includes mandatory exceptions for emergencies and specific classroom assignments. The state law establishes a baseline for district behavior but allows for local flexibility.
Rep. Mark Tisdel, a Rochester Hills Republican, sponsored the bill. House Republicans originally proposed a “bell-to-bell” ban that would have prohibited cell phone use for the entire duration of the school day. To secure support in the Senate, Tisdel agreed to allow limited phone use outside of instructional hours.
Sen. Dayna Polehanki, a Democrat from Livonia, worked with Tisdel to reach the compromise. During floor remarks, she described the package as a rare instance of bipartisan cooperation on education policy. “If this bill package passes today, we will have passed two very solid school policy bills in the past month, indicating that yes, we can come together across the aisle and across chambers to do the right things for kids, parents and schools,” Polehanki said.
Safety concerns following the 2021 shooting at Oxford High School where four students were killed played a significant role in drafting the bill. Since that event, many parents have advocated for students to maintain access to their devices to ensure they can communicate during emergencies. Polehanki noted that these concerns were central to the negotiations and influenced the decision not to require schools to confiscate phones.
Polehanki emphasized that the state requirements do not prevent schools from being more restrictive. “These bills reflect the minimum that schools must implement regarding school cell phone use, but schools can implement more strict policies if they so choose,” Polehanki said. She noted that local districts retain the authority to go beyond the state requirements if they prefer tighter controls.
Some districts in West Michigan have already moved forward with stricter prohibitions. At Rockford Middle School, students are currently barred from using phones during the entire school day, including lunch periods. Adam Burkholder, the principal of Rockford Middle School, said the policy is necessary to keep students engaged in their education. “Capturing the attention of a middle school student is challenging enough as it is and we can’t compete with cellphones,” Burkholder said.
The new cell phone restrictions will take effect across Michigan public schools starting in the next school year. School districts are now required to develop and implement their specific local policies to comply with the state mandate.