2026-2027 CUHSD Cell Phone and Personal Electronic Device Policy

At a minimum, cell phones and personal electronic devices shall remain off/silenced and put away during the instructional day and at any other time as directed by a school employee. Individual school sites may implement policies that further restrict student access to cell phones and personal electronic devices during the school day and/or at school events.

The instructional day is defined as the beginning of the first period of the day through the end of the last period of the day, except for lunch and passing periods. During instructional time, the use of cell phones and/or personal electronic devices for any purpose, including phone conversations, text messaging, emailing, use of any applications, listening to music, and Internet usage is prohibited. Personal electronic devices include but are not limited to cell phones, smart watches, laptops other than district provided chromebooks, and accessories such as headphones/earbuds (AirPods, Beats, etc.) and Bluetooth devices.

Schools shall have the option to implement one of the following approaches. In either case, students will be directed to store any devices they bring to school in a uniform way. Schools will share more specific information directly with students and families.

Bell-to-Bell: Students shall not access or use their cell phones and/or personal electronic devices for the entirety of the school day.
Instructional Time: Students shall not access or use their cell phones and/or personal electronic devices during the school day, except during lunch and passing periods.

At all times the taking or transmitting of voice recordings, pictures, or videos on an electronic device without the prior consent of any and all the recorded and/or photographed persons is strictly prohibited and may result in suspension.

Additional Information:

No student shall be prohibited from possessing or using an electronic device that is determined by a licensed physician to be essential for the student's health and the use is limited to health-related purposes (Education Code 48901.5). If a student needs an electronic device for health-related purposes, the doctor’s order must be on file with the school administration.
An IEP team may consider modifying these expectations for a specific student using guidelines provided by the Director of Special Education.
Students may use a personal electronic device for creating multimedia content (photography, video, or sound recording) under their teacher’s direct supervision. Student journalists and yearbook staff may do so with written permission from the staff advisor.
Students who bring electronic devices to school do so at their own risk. The school and District are not responsible for lost, stolen, or damaged electronics.

Consequences for Violation of this Policy During Instructional Time:

First Occurrence	Confiscation. The student may pick up the device from the office at the end of the day.
Second Occurrence and Thereafter	Confiscation. Administration may require parents/guardians to pick up devices/phones and/or meet with parents/guardians and the student to develop a behavior contract.