Most of WA schools will have cell phone policy this fall

Washington school districts are cracking down on cell phones in class.

The Washington Office of the Superintendent of Public Instruction (OSPI) stated in a news release Thursday that 75% of districts will have a policy in place this fall. More than half of schools will limit phones during instructional time, while about a third will require devices to be put away all day.

Young people receive hundreds of cell phone notifications each day and check their phones more than 100 times each day, according to a 2023 study by Common Sense Media.

Washington State Superintendent Chris Reykdal said phones are disrupting learning, and schools need to protect classroom focus.

“Our educators, parents, and families are seeing, on a daily basis, how students’ learning is disrupted —repeatedly—by t