New high school cell phone ban sparks praise, anxiety
New law requires schools to develop policy to prohibit use of cell phones between the first, last bell of the day
April 28, 2026
By Jessi Hardy
“My personal opinion is that kids need to be exposed to screens in a way that is safe, controlled and not able to take over their lives. ”
Students must silence the use of their cell phones in all Maine public schools after Aug. 1, according to a law signed by Gov. Janet Mills earlier this month.
Currently, peninsula-area schools have varying policies on student phone use. Deer Isle-Stonington district policy states that “devices may not be used in any manner that disrupts the instructional process or violates any district’s policies or school rules.”
Sedgwick Elementary School requires middle school students to keep their cell phones in a school-provided bin until the end of the day; younger students must keep their devices off and in their back packs. Brooksville Elementary prohibits phones during the day but allows their use on the bus or as permitted by the teacher. Some instructors at George Stevens Academy ask students to place their phones in a bin on the teacher’s desks before class begins but allow them to be used for projects.
The new law requires schools to develop a policy that bans the use of cell phones between the first bell and last bell of the day. The new “bell to bell” guidelines will take effect upon students' return for the 2026-27 school year.
For those concerned about safety in emergency situations, Portland police officer Patrick Duddy, whose family lives on the Blue Hill peninsula, said that nobody should be using their phones during a school emergency because doing so bogs down the 911 network.
Community opinions on the new law are mixed. Some students agree that their peers rely on their phones too much, even during school, while some parents dislike not being able to reach their children whenever they need to.
Christopher Bubar
“Taking phones away is just going to create more problems. More kids are gonna find ways to hide it from teachers and kids aren’t going to be truthful. The teachers also need to be more strict about the rules and give people real consequences when they have their phone out. Teachers just let it happen now and don’t care, so students don’t either. Especially when there seems to be no punishment for having a phone out.”
- Christopher Bubar, senior, Deer Isle-Stonington High School
Kristy Wiberg
“As a mother of two elementary aged children, one who has a cellphone and one who does not, I have mixed feelings about this bill. I do support the goal of reducing distractions in schools and helping kids stay focused during the day. At the same time, I understand the benefit of limiting phone use. But I also value the reassurance of being able to reach my children or know where they are if needed. Schools haven’t always felt like the safest places in recent years, so that connection matters to me. Because of that, I do think there are real concerns around safety, communication, and how this will be implemented that need to be worked through so it works for both students and families.”
- Kristy Wiberg, Deer Isle, parent of three, ages 20, 12 and 9
Cheyanne Talgo
“Banning cell phones at school isn’t about control or taking something away. It’s about protecting students' ability to focus and learn. When phones turn into Snapchat conversations during class, that doesn’t just distract one person, they pull attention away from the entire learning environment, including teachers trying to do their job. A phone-free classroom helps everyone stay present, engaged and actually get the most out of education.”
- Cheyanne Talgo, parent to middle school student
Jessica Valdez
“My personal opinion is kids need to be exposed to screens in a way that is safe, controlled and not able to take over their lives. Banning them completely makes them forbidden fruit. But you also don’t want to raise an idiot who can’t function off a screen. As a teacher I encourage parents to let them use the tools so they aren’t foreign when it comes time to be adept for a job someday but in a way that doesn’t allow it to rule their lives.”
- Jessica Valdez, teacher/owner of the independent micro-school Apricot Academy in Sedgwick
Maria Duddy
“Students don’t need them bell to bell. In an emergency such as a lock down, no devices are used by anyone. Rooms are to stay dark and quiet so they appear unoccupied. If cells are buzzing, ringing or screens are lit up–any of these are more of a danger to those in the room. As far as staff use, I personally only use it during my breaks or as a timer. I can go without the social media drama during work hours. If students don’t have use of their phone during school hours the amount of cyber bullying that happens (hopefully) will decrease.”
- Maria Duddy, retiring ed tech staff, Deer Isle-Stonington Elementary
Jackson Rice
“Some people are on their phones too much. School is just a place where you should put your phone down and you should know better not to use it.”
- Jackson Rice, homeschooled Stonington senior who takes some classes at Deer Isle-Stonington High School
Asa Alley-Neblett
“I personally don't have an issue with us not being allowed to use our phones during the school day but this does [make me worry about] how it may affect some of our classes at GSA. Last year during our class ‘Intro to Literature’ we made a lot of short films. These were engaging and fun projects that allowed us to be creative and truly engross ourselves within the books we were reading. In this class and other classes where we do similar things we used our phones to record and edit for these projects making them essential for these classes. I can say that if these projects were not a part of the class, I probably wouldn't have been as engaged in English and other classes where we were allowed to be creative. With this ban bill, unless there are some work arounds, we will no longer be able to do these fun, creative projects and that is really sad.”
- Asa Alley-Neblett, sophomore, George Stevens Academy
Dean McBride
“I do not agree with this law. Banning them completely is very unnecessary. That's where the rule of putting your phone up on the teacher's desk is useful. Most teachers come around the classroom and take them. I have been bullied severely to the point where I needed my phone to text my mother to pick me up. That was the one thing that got me through the seventh grade.”
- Dean McBride, sophomore, George Stevens Academy
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–This piece was produced through the training and financial support of Journalism New England’s Career Lab. The reporter, Jessi Hardy, is one of the organization’s Community Reporting Fellows.
