East Texas districts to enforce cell phone ban
Posted/updated on: October 14, 2025 at 3:06 am
TYLER — 
Our news partner KETK reports that after the Texas House and Senate approved House Bill 1481, which bans students from using cell phones during school hours, school districts across East Texas are now working to update their policies to comply with the new law. H.B. 1481 now requires public schools to develop a plan to implement these new regulations. The bill passed the House on April 24 with 128 votes in favor, and the Senate approved it a month later with a unanimous 31 votes. Electronics now banned include telephones, cell phones (such as smartphones or flip phones), tablets, smartwatches, radio devices, paging devices, and any other device capable of telecommunication and digital communication.
The law gives districts the right to dispose of a confiscated device as long as the school gives parents a 90-day notice.
Although school districts are now responsible for creating plans to enforce the cellphone ban, the bill requires the Texas Education Agency (TEA) to publish model policy language on its website. This guidance will help ensure districts develop policies that comply with the new law.
On Thursday, Tyler ISD released new regulations in accordance with the new House Bill. Under the updated policy, electronic devices are banned during instructional time, lunch, recess, transitions, and any periods on campus before dismissal. All devices must be turned off and kept out of sight throughout the entire school day.
1st Offense Technology ViolationDevice confiscated and held until parent/guardian picks up
2nd OffenseInsubordinationDevice held until parent/guardian picks up
3rd OffenseInsubordinationParent pickup + student behavior contract
4th+ OffenseInsubordinationConference + possible device ban or ISS
Students who fail to follow the policy may face disciplinary actions, which could include in-school suspension, on-campus intervention, or out-of-school suspension for insubordination. A parent conference will also be required in such cases.
Exceptions to the policy are granted for students with a documented physician’s order or those with approved accommodations under a 504 Plan or Individualized Education Program (IEP).
Tyler ISD said parents and guardians should not contact students directly during instructional time and instead call the campus and staff members will deliver any important messages to the student.
A step toward focused classrooms?
A study by the Pew Research Center found that high school teachers are especially likely to view cell phones as disruptive, with about 70% reporting that student distraction from phones is a major issue in their classrooms.
“Many schools and districts have tried to address this challenge by implementing cellphone policies, such as requiring students to turn off their phones during class or give them to administrators during the school day,” the Center said.
Kristyn Booth, an LPC Associate with Tyler Family Counseling, said this new ban could help improve students with depression and anxiety.
“Sometimes, there’s cyberbullying going on during the school day and you’re having a positive day. You’re hanging out with your friends, and all of a sudden, you get an alert on your phone that says, ‘so-and-so commented this on your picture.’ That ruins their whole day, then we’re not wanting to be around friends. We are isolating ourselves and our peers. It just makes it hard to focus on what we’re doing at school.”
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In the Eisenhower Box, Booth said getting notifications on a phone falls under urgent but not important. When people get notifications on their phone, they are likely to check because they don’t know what it could be, but usually it’s just an app that goes off. The constant checking disrupts their learning experience.
Though the ban can cause stress for some students who rely on their phones for emotional regulation, Booth says if students are using their phone as a coping mechanism, that is something that needs to be addressed or adopt other more effective ways to continue their education.
“The mandate does minimize harm; we are preventing students from being constantly tethered to their phones. We are encouraging social interaction, to learn how to deal with things face-to-face versus through a screen,” Booth said. “If the harm that’s being discussed is anxiety, they need to be going to a counselor or therapist and adopting better coping skills to navigate some of these struggles.”
