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Maine's Bell-to-Bell School Cellphone Ban: What Schools Need to Know in 2026
Yes. Every Maine public school district had to adopt a bell-to-bell policy by 1 August 2026 banning student use of cellphones, smartwatches and other connected devices from the starting bell to dismissal. The rule came in through the state's April 2026 supplemental budget.
Part GG of Maine's supplemental budget, signed by Governor Janet Mills on 10 April 2026, requires each school board to adopt a policy banning student use of personal electronic devices for the whole school day, from starting bell to dismissal bell. It covers phones, smartwatches and other devices with internet or cellular access. Exceptions are required for IEPs, 504 plans, individual health care plans, translation for emergent English learners and emergencies.
A 2025 law first moved Maine toward a statewide ban but was amended to leave the details to districts. The 2026 supplemental budget replaced that language with a mandatory bell-to-bell rule. The Maine Department of Education and the Maine School Management Association wrote Model Policy JICJ, and boards had to have a policy in place by 1 August 2026, ready for the 2026-27 school year. Governor Mills held a ceremonial signing at Westbrook High School in May 2026.
The state set aside $350,000, shared among districts by grade 6-12 enrolment, about $3.83 per student, partly for storage. Local choices vary: Portland bought locking pouches for all middle and high school students for about $110,000, Westbrook moved $27,000 to buy pouches for high schoolers, York uses office phone hotels, and Lewiston requires phones to be powered off but lets students keep them. A Falmouth survey found 11% of high schoolers backed the ban.
Whatever Maine's bell-to-bell law 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 Maine, 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
When did Maine districts have to adopt a policy?
By 1 August 2026, so the rule applies from the 2026-27 school year. The Maine DOE and MSMA published Model Policy JICJ to help boards comply.
What exemptions are allowed?
Policies must allow use required by an IEP, a 504 plan or an individual health care plan, translation support for emergent English learners when no alternative exists, and emergencies.
Is there state money for storage?
Yes, but it is small. The budget provides $350,000 statewide, distributed by grade 6-12 enrolment, which works out at roughly $3.83 per student.
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.
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