UPDATED: SB 106 on Student Cell Phone Use in School Signed by Gov Meyer

March 16, 2026/Mari Lou

UPDATED STORY – 03/16/26 – Legislation approved unanimously by the Delaware General Assembly and signed into law by Governor Matt Meyer requires each Delaware school district and charter school to adopt a policy, with educator input, about cell phone use by students during school hours. According to Senate Bill 106, each school district and charter school will provide its adopted cell phone police to the Department of Education – and by August 31, 2026 shall post their adopted cell phone policy on the district/school website. The policy will be implemented and enforced by each district and charter school.

Additional information:

Each school district and charter school shall adopt a policy, with educator input, about cell phone use by students during school hours that, at a minimum, must include all of the following:

  1. Clear guidelines about what constitutes acceptable cell phone use at school.   
  2. A requirement that limits cell phone use during instructional time.   
  3. The designation of times and places during which students may use their cell phones at school. 
  4. Guidelines that encourage communication between the schools, parents or guardians, and students about the cell phone use policy.   
  5. A system of appropriate consequences for violations of the cell phone use policy.   
  6. Exceptions that address, and are applicable to, emergency situations and medical or educational accommodations.   
  7. A plan to monitor discipline data related to student cell phone use policy violations.

Each school district and charter school shall implement and enforce its cell phone policy in a fair and consistent manner. Each school district and charter school is responsible for ensuring that implementation and enforcement is not solely the responsibility of classroom educators.

Each school district and charter school may amend its adopted cell phone use policy as needed. If a school district or charter school amends its cell phone use policy, it shall provide the amended policy to the Department within 90 days of the amendment. The school district or charter school shall post the amended policy on its website.

The Department shall provide school districts and charter schools with model language that the school districts and charter schools may use to support the development of cell phone use policies.

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ORIGINAL STORY – 01/13/26 – As the Delaware General Assembly returns to Dover – the State House on Tuesday considered Senate Bill 106 which requires each school district and charter school to adopt a student cell phone use policy which would govern cell phone use during school hours. This bipartisan measure is sponsored by Representative Kim Williams and Senator Eric Buckson. The measure is headed back to the State Senate for consideration after the measure was amended and passed in the House Tuesday with a unanimous vote.

Additional information from the House Majority Caucus:

The legislation stems from the work of the Student Behavior and School Climate Task Force, which identified cell phones as a significant classroom disruption. As part of its final recommendations, the task force called on the General Assembly to implement a statewide framework for school cell phone policies.
 
“We’re seeing how cell phones are a constant distraction in the classroom. The work of this task force shows how it continues to be one of the largest concerns with school climate throughout our state. Cell phones impact not just our students’ learning but has a larger impact on the environment for our educators and administrators,” said Rep. Kim Williams.
 
“This legislation builds on the successful work of many districts and ensures that our state is aligned in its goal of limiting distractions in the classroom while still providing the flexibility for districts to develop their own policies.”
 
Under SB 106, each school district and charter school must adopt a policy that includes clear guidelines defining acceptable cell phone use at school, limits on cell phone use during instructional time, and designated times and places where students may use their phones. Policies must also encourage communication among schools, parents or guardians, and students, establish appropriate consequences for violations, and include exceptions for emergency situations and medical or educational accommodations.
 
“SB 106 sends a clear message to school districts that inappropriate cell phone usage in our schools directly correlates with low productivity, poor test performance, and increased behavioral problems,” Sen. Eric Buckson said.
 
“Having clear guidelines helps school districts maintain effective policies that empower classroom educators.”
 
While the vast majority of Delaware schools already have policies governing cellphone use, SB 106 creates a statewide baseline while still allowing districts and charters the ability to tailor their policies to local needs.
 
Nationally, 20 states have completely banned phones and tablets during school hours.
According to Pew Research Center, 72 percent of high school teachers say that students being distracted by cell phones is a major problem in their classrooms. Research has also found that cell phone use during class is associated with lower academic achievement.
 
SB 106 returns to the State Senate for consideration after it was amended and passed in the House Tuesday.
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