{"id":72592,"date":"2026-02-10T14:53:27","date_gmt":"2026-02-10T19:53:27","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/bridgemi.com\/?p=72592"},"modified":"2026-02-10T17:26:43","modified_gmt":"2026-02-10T22:26:43","slug":"whitmer-signs-classroom-smartphone-ban-for-michigan-schools-what-to-know","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/bridgemi.com\/michigan-government\/whitmer-signs-classroom-smartphone-ban-for-michigan-schools-what-to-know\/","title":{"rendered":"Whitmer signs classroom smartphone ban for Michigan schools. What to know"},"content":{"rendered":"\n<ul class=\"wp-block-list\">\n<li><strong>Gov. Gretchen Whitmer has signed a new law banning smartphone use in K-12 schools during instructional time, starting this fall<\/strong><\/li>\n\n\n\n<li><strong>The law will still allow students to have basic phones on them, and allows them to keep smartphones in their lockers and away from the classroom<\/strong><\/li>\n\n\n\n<li><strong>Districts can adopt stronger cellphone restrictions if they choose<\/strong><\/li>\n<\/ul>\n\n\n\n<hr class=\"wp-block-separator has-alpha-channel-opacity is-style-wide\"\/>\n\n\n\n<p>LANSING \u2014 Gov. Gretchen Whitmer has signed a new law to ban smartphones from public school classrooms starting this fall, making good on a pledge to keep the devices out of instructional time.&nbsp;<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>\u201cWe know that phones impede a student\u2019s ability to learn,\u201d Whitmer told a crowd of reporters, students and educators on Tuesday ahead of a bill signing at Waverly High School.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>\u201cThey are by far the most disruptive distraction in our classrooms \u2026 designed to keep you scrolling, and teachers struggling to keep the class engaged while competing against social media.\u201d&nbsp;<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>Under the new law, students will still be able to have phones with them at school, but smartphones won\u2019t be allowed during instructional time. Students could carry basic phones, and it will be up to school officials to determine how rigidly to enforce the policy moving forward.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>The legislation will take effect this fall, and sponsoring state Rep. Mark Tisdel, R-Rochester Hills, said he is \u201canxious to see the results.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n<div class=\"wp-block-group\"><div class=\"wp-block-group__inner-container is-layout-constrained wp-block-group-is-layout-constrained\">\n<p><strong>Related:&nbsp;<\/strong><\/p>\n\n\n\n<ul class=\"wp-block-list\">\n<li><a href=\"https:\/\/bridgemi.com\/michigan-government\/gretchen-whitmer-seeks-625m-for-literacy-tax-holiday-for-school-supplies\/\"><strong>Gov. Whitmer seeks $625M for literacy<\/strong><\/a><\/li>\n\n\n\n<li><a href=\"https:\/\/bridgemi.com\/michigan-government\/trump-threatens-to-block-michigan-canada-bridge-in-trade-war-escalation\/\"><strong>Trump threatens to block Michigan-Canada bridge<\/strong><\/a><\/li>\n\n\n\n<li><a href=\"https:\/\/bridgemi.com\/talent-education\/school-cell-phone-bans-are-spreading-michigan-next\/\"><strong>School cell phone bans are spreading. Is Michigan next?<\/strong><\/a><\/li>\n<\/ul>\n<\/div><\/div>\n\n\n\n<p>The new law has been a long time coming, with both the Democratic-led Senate and Republican-led House advancing proposals to limit cellphone use in schools. They reached a compromise earlier this year.&nbsp;<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>\u201cThis was an effort to get something on the books, to create a statewide standard, and then everybody can take it from there,\u201d Tisdel told reporters.&nbsp;<\/p>\n\n\n\n<h2 class=\"wp-block-heading\"><strong>What the law does, and when<\/strong><\/h2>\n\n\n\n<p>While many schools in the state have already adopted their own cellphone policies, the new law will create baseline regulations for all public school districts, where officials could still consider stricter rules.&nbsp;<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>The law directs school districts to limit smartphone use during instructional time but does not propose penalties for those that do not, and it does not apply to private or parochial schools.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>Under the law, school districts must post their cellphone policy online and detail how it will be enforced.&nbsp;<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>Students will still be able to access their smartphones between classes or at lunch. During instructional time, they could be allowed to carry \u201cdumb phones,\u201d which can send texts or make calls but not access TikTok, Snapchat or other potential distractions.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<figure class=\"wp-block-image size-large\"><img data-recalc-dims=\"1\" loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" width=\"1024\" height=\"683\" data-attachment-id=\"12961\" data-permalink=\"https:\/\/bridgemi.com\/michigan-government\/plan-limit-cellphones-schools-passes-michigan-senate-it-tough-enough\/attachment\/cell-phone-ban\/\" data-orig-file=\"https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/bridgemi.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/05\/cell-phone-ban.jpg?fit=1300%2C867&amp;ssl=1\" data-orig-size=\"1300,867\" data-comments-opened=\"1\" data-image-meta=\"{&quot;aperture&quot;:&quot;0&quot;,&quot;credit&quot;:&quot;&quot;,&quot;camera&quot;:&quot;&quot;,&quot;caption&quot;:&quot;&quot;,&quot;created_timestamp&quot;:&quot;0&quot;,&quot;copyright&quot;:&quot;&quot;,&quot;focal_length&quot;:&quot;0&quot;,&quot;iso&quot;:&quot;0&quot;,&quot;shutter_speed&quot;:&quot;0&quot;,&quot;title&quot;:&quot;&quot;,&quot;orientation&quot;:&quot;0&quot;}\" data-image-title=\"cell-phone-ban\" data-image-description=\"\" data-image-caption=\"&lt;p&gt;Cellphones are collected by a teacher at Tomlinson Middle School in Inkster, which bans phones during class. (Courtesy photo)&lt;\/p&gt;\n\" data-medium-file=\"https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/bridgemi.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/05\/cell-phone-ban.jpg?fit=300%2C200&amp;ssl=1\" data-large-file=\"https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/bridgemi.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/05\/cell-phone-ban.jpg?fit=1024%2C683&amp;ssl=1\" src=\"https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/bridgemi.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/05\/cell-phone-ban.jpg?resize=1024%2C683&#038;ssl=1\" alt=\"Kids put the cellphones in a container held by a teacher.\" class=\"wp-image-12961\" srcset=\"https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/bridgemi.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/05\/cell-phone-ban.jpg?resize=1024%2C683&amp;ssl=1 1024w, https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/bridgemi.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/05\/cell-phone-ban.jpg?resize=300%2C200&amp;ssl=1 300w, https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/bridgemi.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/05\/cell-phone-ban.jpg?resize=768%2C512&amp;ssl=1 768w, https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/bridgemi.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/05\/cell-phone-ban.jpg?resize=1200%2C800&amp;ssl=1 1200w, https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/bridgemi.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/05\/cell-phone-ban.jpg?resize=780%2C520&amp;ssl=1 780w, https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/bridgemi.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/05\/cell-phone-ban.jpg?resize=400%2C267&amp;ssl=1 400w, https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/bridgemi.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/05\/cell-phone-ban.jpg?w=1300&amp;ssl=1 1300w, https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/bridgemi.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/05\/cell-phone-ban-1024x683.jpg?w=370&amp;ssl=1 370w\" sizes=\"auto, (max-width: 1000px) 100vw, 1000px\" \/><figcaption class=\"wp-element-caption\">Cellphones are collected by a teacher at Tomlinson Middle School in Inkster, which bans phones during class. (Courtesy photo)<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n\n\n\n<p>The law does not restrict the use of medically necessary devices that function through smartphones \u2014 such as a glucose monitor \u2014 and district-owned devices designated for instructional use.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>A <a href=\"https:\/\/legislature.mi.gov\/Bills\/Bill?ObjectName=2025-SB-0495\">companion law<\/a> from state Sen. Dayna Polehanki, D-Livonia, also signed Tuesday, would require schools to create a protocol regarding when and how students can use a smartphone during an emergency, such as a bomb threat or active shooter situation.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>\u201cNow, we have the weight of state law behind what I think everyone can agree upon: That cellphones don\u2019t belong in the classroom during instruction,\u201d Polehanki said.&nbsp;<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>The smartphone ban will take effect this fall for the start of the 2026-27 school year.&nbsp;<\/p>\n\n\n\n<h2 class=\"wp-block-heading\"><strong>Michigan lags<\/strong><\/h2>\n\n\n\n<p>When Whitmer first called for a ban on smartphones in the classroom during her 2025 State of the State address, nine states had already adopted school cellphone bans of some kind. More have followed suit.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<figure class=\"wp-block-embed alignright is-type-video is-provider-tiktok wp-block-embed-tiktok\"><div class=\"wp-block-embed__wrapper\">\n<blockquote class=\"tiktok-embed\" cite=\"https:\/\/www.tiktok.com\/@bridge.michigan\/video\/7605333341490941197\" data-video-id=\"7605333341490941197\" data-embed-from=\"oembed\" style=\"max-width:605px; min-width:325px;\"> <section> <a target=\"_blank\" title=\"@bridge.michigan\" href=\"https:\/\/www.tiktok.com\/@bridge.michigan?refer=embed\">@bridge.michigan<\/a> <p>Gov. Gretchen Whitmer has signed a new law to ban smartphones from public school classrooms starting this fall, making good on a pledge to keep the devices out of instructional time. Under the new law, students will still be able to have phones with them at school, but smartphones won\u2019t be allowed during instructional time. Students could carry basic phones, and it will be up to school officials to determine how rigidly to enforce the policy moving forward. The legislation will take effect this fall, and sponsoring state Rep. Mark Tisdel, R-Rochester Hills, said he is \u201canxious to see the results.\u201d Read the full story at the link in our bio. <a title=\"michigan\" target=\"_blank\" href=\"https:\/\/www.tiktok.com\/tag\/michigan?refer=embed\">#michigan<\/a> <a title=\"teachers\" target=\"_blank\" href=\"https:\/\/www.tiktok.com\/tag\/teachers?refer=embed\">#teachers<\/a> <a title=\"teachersoftiktok\" target=\"_blank\" href=\"https:\/\/www.tiktok.com\/tag\/teachersoftiktok?refer=embed\">#teachersoftiktok<\/a><\/p> <a target=\"_blank\" title=\"\u266c original sound - Bridge Michigan - Bridge Michigan\" href=\"https:\/\/www.tiktok.com\/music\/original-sound-Bridge-Michigan-7605333466028329741?refer=embed\">\u266c original sound &#8211; Bridge Michigan &#8211; Bridge Michigan<\/a> <\/section> <\/blockquote> <script async src=\"https:\/\/www.tiktok.com\/embed.js\"><\/script>\n<\/div><\/figure>\n\n\n\n<p>Now, <a href=\"https:\/\/www.nytimes.com\/2026\/01\/08\/nyregion\/nj-school-cellphone-ban-phil-murphy.html\">about three dozen states<\/a> have similar policies in place \u2014 several of which are stricter than the new Michigan law.&nbsp;<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>In <a href=\"https:\/\/www.govtech.com\/education\/k-12\/how-new-yorks-cellphone-ban-changed-classrooms-in-2025\">New York<\/a>, lawmakers adopted a &#8220;bell-to-bell ban\u201d that requires schools to develop storage plans for devices all throughout the day with no exceptions for smartphone use at lunch or in between classes.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>A <a href=\"https:\/\/www.texastribune.org\/2025\/09\/10\/texas-cell-phone-ban-schools\/\">Texas<\/a> ban goes further, covering not just smartphones but also smartwatches and tablets, barring students from using them at all hours of the day, including passing periods.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>\u201cMore than half of the states already have policies like these on phones in class like ours, and they\u2019re already seeing the benefit of it,\u201d Whitmer said, suggesting a drop in behavioral issues and a rise in test scores.&nbsp;&nbsp;<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>Even in Michigan, a number of schools have independently adopted phone bans ahead of the law\u2019s signing.&nbsp;<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>That\u2019s the case at Waverly High School, where math teacher Carcia Young said she\u2019s noticed a \u201cpowerful\u201d change in student behavior, including better attention spans, adding: \u201cWhen students are fully present, they participate more, retain more and achieve more.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>As for whether Michigan lawmakers could consider a stricter policy in the future?<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>Tisdel, the Rochester Hills Republican, was open to it, telling reporters after the bill signing that if there\u2019s \u201ccalls from the grassroots \u2014 from the superintendents, the principals, the school teachers\u201d on how the law \u201ccould be improved or strengthened, we can certainly do that.\u201d&nbsp;<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"<p>Michigan K-12 students will be banned from using smartphones during instructional time starting this fall. Here\u2019s what to know about the new law signed Tuesday by Gov. Gretchen Whitmer. <\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":233,"featured_media":72593,"comment_status":"closed","ping_status":"closed","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"newspack_ads_suppress_ads":false,"newspack_popups_has_disabled_popups":false,"newspack_sponsor_sponsorship_scope":"","newspack_sponsor_native_byline_display":"inherit","newspack_sponsor_native_category_display":"inherit","newspack_sponsor_underwriter_style":"inherit","newspack_sponsor_underwriter_placement":"inherit","inline_featured_image":false,"apple_news_api_created_at":"2026-02-10T19:53:33Z","apple_news_api_id":"a0863f2d-fc6f-4580-8faa-71890a2aaedd","apple_news_api_modified_at":"2026-02-10T22:26:49Z","apple_news_api_revision":"AAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAABQ==","apple_news_api_share_url":"https:\/\/apple.news\/AoIY_LfxvRYCPqnGJCiqu3Q","apple_news_cover_media_provider":"image","apple_news_coverimage":0,"apple_news_coverimage_caption":"","apple_news_cover_video_id":0,"apple_news_cover_video_url":"","apple_news_cover_embedwebvideo_url":"","apple_news_is_hidden":"","apple_news_is_paid":"","apple_news_is_preview":"","apple_news_is_sponsored":"","apple_news_maturity_rating":"","apple_news_metadata":"\"\"","apple_news_pullquote":"","apple_news_pullquote_position":"","apple_news_slug":"","apple_news_sections":[],"apple_news_suppress_video_url":false,"apple_news_use_image_component":false,"_newspack_byline_active":false,"_newspack_byline":"","newspack_featured_image_position":"","newspack_post_subtitle":"","newspack_article_summary_title":"Overview:","newspack_article_summary":"","newspack_hide_updated_date":false,"newspack_show_updated_date":false,"_jetpack_memberships_contains_paid_content":false,"footnotes":"","jetpack_publicize_message":"","jetpack_publicize_feature_enabled":true,"jetpack_social_post_already_shared":true,"jetpack_social_options":{"image_generator_settings":{"template":"highway","default_image_id":0,"font":"","enabled":false},"version":2},"_wpas_customize_per_network":false},"categories":[2445],"tags":[904,1510,4328],"newspack_spnsrs_tax":[],"coauthors":[2457],"class_list":["post-72592","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","hentry","category-michigan-government","tag-gov-gretchen-whitmer","tag-michigan-k-12-schools","tag-top-of-homepage","entry"],"apple_news_notices":[],"yoast_head":"<!-- This site is optimized with the Yoast SEO plugin v27.0 - https:\/\/yoast.com\/product\/yoast-seo-wordpress\/ -->\n<title>Gov. Gretchen Whitmer signs classroom smartphone ban for Michigan schools. What to know<\/title>\n<meta name=\"robots\" content=\"index, follow, max-snippet:-1, max-image-preview:large, max-video-preview:-1\" \/>\n<link rel=\"canonical\" href=\"https:\/\/bridgemi.com\/michigan-government\/whitmer-signs-classroom-smartphone-ban-for-michigan-schools-what-to-know\/\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:locale\" content=\"en_US\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:type\" content=\"article\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:title\" content=\"Gov. Gretchen Whitmer signs classroom smartphone ban for Michigan schools. What to know\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:description\" content=\"Michigan K-12 students will be banned from using smartphones during instructional time starting this fall. Here\u2019s what to know about the new law signed Tuesday by Gov. 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The second issue is that allowing smartphones at lunch and in-between classes robs students of crucial face-to-face socialization.","rel":"","context":"In &quot;Guest Commentary&quot;","block_context":{"text":"Guest Commentary","link":"https:\/\/bridgemi.com\/category\/guest-commentary\/"},"img":{"alt_text":"Headshot of a smiling woman","src":"https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/bridgemi.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/01\/headshot-1.jpg?fit=1082%2C1087&ssl=1&resize=350%2C200","width":350,"height":200,"srcset":"https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/bridgemi.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/01\/headshot-1.jpg?fit=1082%2C1087&ssl=1&resize=350%2C200 1x, https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/bridgemi.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/01\/headshot-1.jpg?fit=1082%2C1087&ssl=1&resize=525%2C300 1.5x, https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/bridgemi.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/01\/headshot-1.jpg?fit=1082%2C1087&ssl=1&resize=700%2C400 2x, https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/bridgemi.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/01\/headshot-1.jpg?fit=1082%2C1087&ssl=1&resize=1050%2C600 3x"},"classes":[]},{"id":2590,"url":"https:\/\/bridgemi.com\/talent-education\/whitmer-expands-teacher-union-rights-critics-say-it-sets-back-students\/","url_meta":{"origin":72592,"position":5},"title":"Whitmer expands teacher union rights, critics say it sets back students","author":"Isabel Lohman","date":"July 26, 2023","format":false,"excerpt":"Gov. Gretchen Whitmer signed several education bills, including measures that give teachers more say in classroom assignments. She signed another measure that makes it easier for out-of-state teachers and counselors to work in Michigan.","rel":"","context":"In &quot;Talent &amp; Education&quot;","block_context":{"text":"Talent &amp; Education","link":"https:\/\/bridgemi.com\/category\/talent-education\/"},"img":{"alt_text":"Gov. 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