Blog · Schools
Hawaii's School Cellphone Policy: What Schools Need to Know for 2026-27
Partly. From the 2026-27 school year, a Hawaii Board of Education policy bans student cellphone use during school hours in elementary and middle schools. High schools must ban use during instructional time but may allow phones at lunch, breaks and free periods.
Hawaii runs a single statewide public school system, so the rule is a Board of Education policy, adopted on 12 February 2026, rather than a state law. From 2026-27, elementary and middle or intermediate students may not use phones during school hours. High school students may not use them during instructional time, and each school decides on before and after school, breaks, recess, lunch and free periods. Exceptions cover emergencies, instruction, health needs and IEPs.
The policy followed months of stakeholder review and statewide surveys. During the 2026 session a state Senate committee deferred a bill for a statutory ban after the Department of Education pointed to the new board policy. The Department is drafting implementation guidelines during 2026-27 and has said it will tell families and staff before changes reach schools. Watch for those guidelines and for any renewed bill in the 2027 session.
The board policy does not set a storage method or include funding, so schools choose. The high school leeway was deliberate: a student board member said many students valued having more freedom outside class. High school principals therefore need to decide early whether to keep lunch and breaks phone-free, which makes enforcement simpler, or to allow use outside lessons and police it classroom by classroom.
Whatever the Board of Education policy requires, lockable pouches let students keep their own phone, locked, from the first bell to the last, so the school does not collect, store or answer for devices. Before The Internet ships lockable phone pouches and unlocking bases across the United States, including to Hawaii, and can print the school's name or crest on them. Schools buy them outright: one price, no subscription, lease or per-student annual licence. Send us your student numbers and any written quote you already have, and we will beat it.
Frequently asked questions
Is Hawaii's rule a law?
No. It is a statewide Board of Education policy adopted on 12 February 2026. A bill for a statutory ban was deferred in the 2026 legislative session.
Can high school students use phones at lunch?
It depends on the school. High schools must ban use in class but may allow phones before and after school, at lunch, during breaks and in free periods.
When does it take effect?
In the 2026-27 school year, with the Department of Education developing implementation guidelines during the year.
Related reading
School phone bans by US state · Phone-free schools toolkit · Bell-to-bell school phone policy template
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.
Planning a phone-free school?
Buying for next term or next year? Send your student numbers and target start date. A person replies within 24 hours with a real figure for your budget, and we ship worldwide.
Name
Work email
Phone
Event date
Headcount
Not sure what you need yet?
Keep reading
Trade shows and launches
Phone-free concerts and festivals