The new all-day phone ban was adopted in a single sitting, with the board waiving its own two-reading rule

What happened

Livingston's device policy is now among the most complete in the state. Renamed Student Use of Internet-Enabled Devices and revised on August 20, 2026, it implements New Jersey's bell-to-bell restriction by name, defines bell-to-bell as from entering the building to leaving it including between classes and lunch, requires a device brought to school to remain off and where required stored password-protected, extends to smartwatches, smart glasses and earbuds, bars teachers from building pupils' own technology into lessons, tells families to ring the school office rather than the pupil, and lists eight exceptions including individual education plans, health plans with a physician's documentation and certified student carers, with written requests answered within five school days. What is notable procedurally is how it arrived: the agenda asked the board to waive its own bylaw requiring two readings and adopt the policy and its new regulation at first reading, in one night, and the minutes for that meeting are not published. The board used the same waiver for substance-abuse and library-material policies in October and December 2025.

Why it matters to families

The rule itself is clear and current, which is what parents need. The process is the part worth noting: a rule that changes every pupil's day was adopted without the second reading the board's own bylaw requires, at a meeting whose minutes have not been posted.

The evidence

The August agenda resolution reads 'waives Bylaw #0131 and approves the following Policies and Regulation for first reading and adoption: ... Policy # 5516 - Student Use of Internet-Enabled Devices (M) (with revisions); Regulation #5516 ... (new to district)'.

The source