The SMUHSD Board of Trustees will determine the phone policy for district high schools at a board meeting on March 26, 2026  (the board has delayed this vote from its original date of 2/24/26)

This petition will be presented to the SMUHSD (San Mateo Union High School District) board and superintendent staff on March 24, 2026.

Petition:

We, SMUHSD teachers, staff and parents of current and future SMUHSD students, urge the SMUHSD Board of Trustees to restrict phone use in all SMUHSD schools for the entirety of the school day (from ‘bell to bell’) in support of classroom learning and equity.  Keeping classrooms and the school campuses phone-free during the school day aligns with San Mateo High School, dTech, SMFCSD (San Mateo Foster City School District) middle schools, and follows the recommendation of the SMUHSD Phone Task Force. 

Background:

San Mateo High School has successfully prohibited phone use from 'bell to bell' since 2019 and dTech also restricts phones from 'bell to bell.'  Other SMUHSD schools (Aragon, Mills, Capuchino, Hillsdale, Burlingame) rely on teachers to regulate phone use in class - doing so for almost 30 students per class is not only impossible, but also distracts both students teachers from focusing on what matters most, learning.  Without a district-wide policy, there is inconsistent application of phone restrictions by site and by teacher, which leads to inequitable outcomes.  

San Mateo Foster City School District started prohibiting phones in ALL middle schools from bell to bell in 2022.  quoted: "After a full-time return to campus in 2022, teachers in the district found many students were “interacting intensely with cellphones in a way we didn’t see before the pandemic,” said superintendent Diego Ochoa, and so the school district adopted a smartphone ban for four middle schools in 2022. Administrators were convinced to do so following a trip to a nearby high school with a smartphone ban. There, they saw students speaking to each other and looking at one another during break time instead of their phones."

SMUHSD Task Force: quoted: "Parents and members of the task force said during Thursday’s meeting that they would prefer phones be restricted throughout the entire school day, or 'bell to bell.'" 

Assembly Bill 3216 (AB 3216), known as the Phone-Free School Act, signed by Governor Gavin Newsom in September 2024. It mandates that all California school districts, charter schools, and county offices of education adopt a policy restricting or prohibiting student smartphone use on campus by July 1, 2026. 

Purpose: To reduce classroom distractions, improve academic focus, and support student mental health by limiting screen time.
Requirements: Districts must develop policies to limit or ban phone use during school hours, with mandatory updates every five years.
Flexibility & Exceptions: While encouraging strict limitations, the law allows for exceptions in cases of emergency, for students with specific health needs, or with permission from a teacher or administrator.
Context: California is now among several states—including Florida, Ohio, and Louisiana—with similar restrictions. 

Thank you for supporting student learning by restricting phone use throughout the school day, from ‘bell to bell.’