Blog · Schools
Ohio's School Cellphone Ban: What Schools Need to Know in 2026
Yes. Under House Bill 96, every Ohio school district, community school and STEM school had to adopt a policy by 1 January 2026 banning all student cellphone use during the instructional day, which state guidance says includes lunch, recess and passing periods. 2026-27 is the first full year under it.
Ohio Revised Code 3313.753, amended by the 2025 state budget (HB 96), requires boards to prohibit all student cellphone use during the instructional day. The Ohio Department of Education and Workforce defines that as any time a student is expected to attend, including instruction, transitions, recess, meals and field trips. Exceptions cover learning uses the board approves, health needs backed by a doctor's statement, IEP or 504 plans, and emergencies.
A 2024 law first required Ohio districts to adopt phone policies. HB 96, enacted in 2025, tightened this to a ban on use for the whole instructional day, set a 1 January 2026 deadline and dropped the state model policy, so each district writes its own. Emergency management plans must now cover phone use during threats. The statute shows a further amendment, via HB 455, taking effect on 9 October 2026, so check the current text.
The state sets no storage method and provides no funding, so the more than 600 districts each decide how phones are collected or stored and how violations are handled. Some schools report students talking more at lunch and in hallways, though experts say results vary by community. Because the statute bans use rather than requiring storage, districts decide whether phones stay in bags, lockers or pouches.
Whatever Ohio's HB 96 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 Ohio, 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
Does Ohio's ban include lunch and passing periods?
Yes. The Ohio Department of Education and Workforce says the instructional day covers any time a student is expected to attend, including transitions between classes, recess and meal periods.
Is there a state model policy?
No. HB 96 removed the department's model cellphone policy, so each board writes its own, within the statute's exceptions.
What exemptions does the law allow?
Use for learning purposes approved by the board, monitoring a health concern with a doctor's written statement, IEP or 504 plan requirements, and situations covered by the school's emergency management plan.
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