Starting this school year, students at all Houston ISD campuses will no longer be allowed to use their cell phones during the school day due to a new state law.
HISD announced its new cell phone policy Thursday and said it would allow for a more distraction-free learning environment. According to the district, the policy prohibits the use of all “personal communication devices.” This includes cell phones, smart watches, tablets, headphones, earbuds, and any other electronic device that can be used for communication.
“Students may not use their device for any reason during the instructional day,” HISD Chief of Schools Sandi Massey said in a video announcing the new policy. “That means no calls, texts, photos, video recording, social media or internet access. Devices should not be visible or audible from the time a student arrives on campus until the last period of the day is over. This includes lunch and passing periods.”
Massey said students are allowed to keep their phones powered off in their backpacks or in a designated storage area during the school day.
The district said the new policy was created in order to comply with House Bill 1481, which was passed by the state Legislature earlier this year. According to HB 1481, public and open-enrollment charter schools must “adopt policies prohibiting students from using personal wireless communication devices during instructional time.”
HISD has included three levels of disciplinary action for students who violate the new phone policy. The severity of punishment increases with each additional violation of the policy.
- 1st offense: The electronic device is confiscated, and a parent/guardian can pick up the device from the office after school, where the parent/guardian can review the law and district policy.
- 2nd offense: The device is confiscated, and the parent/guardian can pick the device up after one full school day.
- 3rd offense: The device is confiscated, and the parent/guardian can pick the device up after two full school days.
The district said that further offenses will result in “elevated formal disciplinary action” and that HISD is not responsible for any lost, stolen or damaged devices confiscated due to a violation.
The new state law does not outline any details regarding punishment or disciplinary action for violations of the law. However, according to the Texas Education Agency (TEA) guidance on HB 1481 compliance, districts must include disciplinary measures in their policy and “may” confiscate a device.
The TEA guidance also allows districts to dispose of unclaimed confiscated items 90 days after providing written notice to the student’s parent or guardian.
HISD said the new policy only includes exceptions for approved medical needs, a documented need based on a directive from a qualified physician, or for approved special education needs.
The policy does not apply to district-owned devices used for educational purposes.
According to TEA, districts with compliant phone policies are eligible for a 2025-26 Phone Free Schools Grant program to pay for secure storage systems. The TEA was allocated $30 million to distribute to participating schools. The grant funding will be distributed based on a process that considers the priority and school system ranking of a campus.
HISD did not immediately respond to a request for comment regarding whether it would be applying for the grant funding.
Other Houston-area school districts, such as Humble ISD, Katy ISD, and Fort Bend ISD, are implementing, or have previously implemented, similar phone policies. The specific policies differ for each district.
A TEA spokesperson told Houston Public Media Friday that “districts of innovation” are not subject to an exemption from HB 1481. School districts with district of innovation status can sometimes bypass certain state regulations.
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