DJUSD Board of Education Moves To an ‘Away For the Day’ Cell Phone Policy for the 2026-27 School Year
Posted on 05/08/2026
DJUSD logoIn October 2024, California passed the Phone-Free Schools Act, which required school districts to put limitations on mobile devices. Since that time, the DJUSD Board of Education has held several meetings discussing the topic of mobile device policy for Davis schools. At the May 7th Board of Education meeting, staff shared information gathered from certificated and administrative staff, along with parent and student feedback on the implications of possible policy and/or implementation changes around the DJUSD Mobile Device Policy for the 2026-27 school year. As part of the discussion to move to an “away for the day” policy for all schools, Board members and voices from staff and the community shared concerns about the negative impacts of cell phone use by adolescents, particularly the addictive qualities of social media and the disruption the devices can have on classroom learning.

In two separate votes, the Board took action to update the mobile device policy for DJUSD. First, the Board unanimously approved “Away for the Day” for elementary (existing policy) and junior high campuses (now to include lunch time) starting in the 2026-27 school year. In a second vote, the Board approved a policy change for high schools that would remove mobile device use from campus and directed staff to return with an implementation plan on June 4, at which point the Board will review the plan and finalize discussion about the high school policy.

President Hiram Jackson stated, “I think “Away for the Day” simplifies the policy and communication…one clear policy takes the burden off the teaching staff. “

Trustee Elizabeth Moon noted that the policy discussion extended beyond cellphones and affected the entire community. “We are talking today about cell phones; we are talking about smart watches; we are talking about Google glasses; we are talking about air pods and all the pieces on the human being.” Alluding to a three-pronged approach, Moon called for educating students about the why behind an “Away for the Day” decision, the education of parents so they provide space for students to engage and solve problems on their own, and for cooperation among all school district partners, students, staff and families alike.

Over the next few weeks the District will be engaging with senior high school leadership and staff to develop an implementation plan that is manageable, realistic and designed to ease the responsibilities currently placed on teachers, campus safety supervisors and other school site staff.

Superintendent Matt Best stated, “We need to have that conversation with staff. Because having that time to create buy-in to build consensus among staff is going to go a long way.”
Best also underscored the importance of launching a broader community education effort. He called for exploring ways to harness resources from family-focused professional organizations to ensure the District is working with parents and community members on this important effort.

The Board will hear the next update at their meeting on June 4, 2026 with the intention that schools will begin roll out of new policy in the fall of 2026.