Fresno County schools must curb smartphone use during class time

On July 1, Fresno County school campuses had to start limiting or banning smartphones during the school day under California’s Phone-Free Schools Act. The new rules put Fresno Unified, Clovis Unified, Madera Unified and other local systems on the hook to curb a distraction that teachers say has become part of daily classroom management.

Gov. Gavin Newsom signed AB 3216 on Sept. 23, 2024, and the law required every school district, charter school and county office of education to adopt a policy limiting or prohibiting student smartphone use by July 1, 2026. Fresno County Superintendent of Schools Dr. Michele Cantwell-Copher said her office supports efforts that protect learning time and help students stay focused, connected and engaged at school.

The biggest local districts had already started writing their own rules before the state deadline arrived. Fresno Unified approved a districtwide policy on Feb. 26, 2026, making it effective July 1. Under that rule, students may keep phones in backpacks, but the devices must be turned off during class, and schools can impose stricter limits if they choose. It was Fresno Unified’s first districtwide phone policy in more than two decades.

Other Fresno County systems took different approaches. Clovis Unified reminded families that schools will always have lines of communication open if a parent needs to contact a student. Madera Unified rolled out Yondr pouches to lock cell phones away at the middle-school level as part of a phone-free policy aligned with the state mandate.

Pew Research found that 72% of U.S. high school teachers say cellphone distraction is a major problem in their classrooms, and a 2026 U.S. Surgeon General advisory urged families, schools and communities to reduce harmful screen use among children and adolescents.