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Are Phones Banned in El Salvador's Schools? What Schools Need to Know in 2026
Partly. In 2025 El Salvador's education minister announced that students and teachers may not use phones during class, but no formal written regulation was published. Students may still bring phones to school.
The rule is a ministerial instruction, not a law. As announced, students may not use phones during class time and teachers must also keep phones away while teaching. Pupils can bring a phone to school. Teachers may use phones for work needs, such as accessing online textbooks or sharing internet access where a school has none. No grade cut-off was set, though older pupils were the main focus.
Minister Mauricio Pineda first spoke about the restriction in March 2025 and confirmed it in May 2025, saying it applied from that year. Reports at the time found no circular or written policy on the ministry's channels. Karla Trigueros became minister in August 2025. As of October 2026 we found no published regulation formalising the classroom phone rule.
Because no formal text exists, each school applies the instruction in its own way. Teachers' unions criticised the measure, saying staff had used phones to document damage to school buildings and safety problems. The ministry paired the announcement with a robotics and programming pilot in 20 schools in La Libertad, focused on responsible use of technology.
Whatever the ministry's class rule requires, lockable pouches let students keep their own phone, locked, from the first bell to the last, so centros escolares do not collect, store or answer for devices. Before The Internet ships lockable phone pouches and unlocking bases worldwide, including to El Salvador, and can print the school's name or crest on them. Schools buy them outright: one price, no subscription, lease or per-student licence. Send us your student numbers and any written quote you have, and we will beat it.
Frequently asked questions
Is there a law banning phones in Salvadoran schools?
No. The restriction was announced by the education minister in 2025, and reports found no formal written regulation behind it.
Can students bring phones to school?
Yes. As announced, students may bring phones but may not use them during class.
Does the rule apply to teachers?
Yes. Teachers were told to keep phones away during lessons, except for work uses such as online textbooks or sharing internet access.
Related reading
School phone bans by country · Phone-free schools toolkit · How to roll out phone pouches in a school
Written by the team at Before The Internet, a Toronto-based phone-free company that rents lockable phone pouches for events across North America and sells them to schools and venues worldwide, shipping purchases to any country.
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