Phones off and in lockers all day from September

What happened

From September 2026 every Garfield student from kindergarten through grade 12 must keep all internet-enabled devices, including cellphones and internet-capable smart watches, powered off and stored in a backpack, locker or personal bag for the whole instructional day, and may not use them during the school day unless administration allows it for an instructional need. The board adopted the first reading of Regulation 5516 on August 17, 2026 with the final reading on August 31. The superintendent told the board in June that the rule comes from a new state law and that the district would run it simply: bring the phone and put it in a locker or leave it at home, with a warning and then confiscation if it is seen.

Why it matters to families

This changes the whole school day for every Garfield student and how parents reach their children during it. The most practical thing for families is the medical exception: students who need a phone for a continuous glucose monitor, an insulin pump, a seizure-monitoring app or heart or oxygen monitoring can be accommodated, but only with a letter from their doctor. The district warned in the summer that doctors' offices across New Jersey were being swamped with the same requests and urged families to ask early so the accommodation is in place on the first day.

The evidence

The superintendent's letter to families on the 2026-27 policy updates states that the board adopted the first reading of Regulation 5516, Student Use of Internet-Enabled Devices, that from 2026-2027 students in kindergarten through grade 12 must keep such devices powered off and stored, lists the medical examples that qualify for accommodation, and sets the second and final reading for August 31, 2026. District Policy 5516 is marked created May 2006 and edited August 2026. The June 15, 2026 meeting recording carries the superintendent explaining the state law and the locker-or-leave-it protocol with a warning then confiscation.

The source