Oregon Governor Signs Statewide School Cell Phone Ban Starting January 2026

Yesterday, Oregon Governor Tina Kotek signed Executive Order 25-09, which bans students in the state from using cell phones during the school day, effective January 1, 2026.

Cell Phones Banned In Oregon Schools

Notwithstanding the death of House Bill 2251 seeking to ban or limit cell phones in schools earlier this year in the Senate- despite Oregon Lawmakers’ push to pass the Off-And-Away-All-Day Bill,

Governor Kotek’s EO seeks to enhance educational outcomes and mental well-being by banning cell phone use during school hours in Oregon’s K-12 public schools. The bill had passed the House but stalled in the Senate.

While some Southern Oregon schools already have policies in place limiting school cell phone use. Others have off-and-away-all-day policies in place. Oregon will be the 27th state with laws regulating student cell phone use in schools.

Two of Kotek’s core objectives —delivering high-quality public education to students and safeguarding their safety, health, and well-being —align with the EO, which closely resembles HB 2251.

The order requires school districts to adopt a policy banning phone use “bell-to-bell” by October 31, and the policies must take effect by January 1, 2026.

Features of the order restricting cell phones include:

• Districts have individual control over their cell phone bans, provided that students are prohibited from accessing their devices during instructional hours.
• District-level flexibility, with model policies designed for schools that already have prohibitions in place. District policies must clarify how personal electronic devices will be stored during the school day.
• School administrators may not punish students in a way that forces them to lose more instructional time; specifically, suspensions or expulsions are not an enforcement option.
• Exceptions to the policy include where cell phones are needed for medical reasons or to support students with disabilities.

The Governor’s office indicated that additional funding will not be made available to districts to implement cell-phone ban policies.