By SDCN Staff
San Diego, CA–San Diego Unified School District has approved a phone-free school day policy for the 2025-26 school year, with implementation beginning August 11, the first day of the school year.
San Diego Unified is committed to creating learning environments that minimize distractions, elevate academic performance, and prioritize students’ mental health and well-being. The phone-free school day policy, developed by California’s Phone-Free School Act (Assembly Bill 3216), establishes guidelines designed to reduce interruptions to learning, foster in-person connection among peers, and support healthy boundaries with technology. The state law requires all public school districts to adopt policies by July 1, 2026, making San Diego Unified an early adopter.
“Limiting the use of phones during the school day creates focused learning environments where students can fully engage with their education and build meaningful connections with their peers,” said Superintendent Fabiola Bagula, Ph.D.
The policy establishes that phones may not be used during regular school hours as defined by each school’s bell schedule. Phone use is permitted before and after school hours, with high schools allowing additional use before the first bell, during lunch, and passing periods.
Under (AB 3216), the phone-free school day policy provides flexibility for students with diverse learning and health requirements through the following exceptions: Health-related purposes or as required by an Individualized Education Program or Section 504 plan, and instructional use explicitly authorized by educators
“Building healthy technology behaviors starts with strong partnerships between families and schools,” said Superintendent Bagula. “Our new approach eliminates phones during instructional time, while equipping families with thoughtfully crafted materials and conversation starters. These tools will help create ongoing dialogues about mindful technology use between students, parents, and teachers.”
The policy establishes a progressive consequence structure designed to support student compliance using Positive Behavior Interventions and Supports and Restorative Justice Practices. Initial interventions include verbal reminders, referral to a counselor, or contacting parents to review the policy. Subsequent infractions may result in classroom educators retaining phones until the end of instructional time, followed by delivery to site administrators for end-of-day retrieval by caregivers. Ongoing violations may result in the inability to participate in school events and extracurricular activities. The framework emphasizes helping students understand the connection between device management and academic success.
The district received student and stakeholder input during the phone-free school day policy development process. A survey administered during the final week of school gathered feedback from 2,236 respondents, generating 1,647 qualitative data points. Of the feedback received, 677 responses were supportive of the policy, 121 expressed disagreement or critique, and 849 were neutral or clarifying in nature.
Key themes from community feedback included strong support for clear and consistent enforcement, appreciation for family resources with requests for additional materials, and calls for urgent implementation.
About 60 students participated in focus groups and policy development sessions through the Student Advisory Board, along with a collaboration with the Parent Teacher Association.
Phone-free school day policy details and resources for families are available at https://www.sandiegounified.org/PhoneFreePolicy
