Students face new cellphone restrictions in 17 states as school year begins

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Student Audreanna Johnson views her cell phone near a cell phone locker at Ronald McNair Sr. High School, Thursday, Aug. 7, 2025, in Atlanta. (AP Photo/Mike Stewart)

Jamel Bishop is seeing a big change in his classrooms as he begins his senior year at Doss High School in Louisville, Kentucky, where cellphones are now banned during instructional time.

In previous years, students often weren’t paying attention and wasted class time by repeating questions, the teenager said. Now, teachers can provide “more one-on-one time for the students who actually need it.”

Kentucky is one of 17 states and the District of Columbia starting this school year with new restrictions, bringing the total to 35 states with laws or rules limiting