This fall, students across West Virginia are heading back to class under a significant new rule: no more phones during instructional time.
House Bill 2003, passed by state lawmakers earlier this year and enacted in July 2025, mandates that all public schools ban cell phone use in classrooms. There are some exceptions to the ban, such as for students with disabilities or medical needs. However, it’s ultimately up to each county and each school to decide how the policy is implemented on the ground.
Lawmakers say the goal is simple: more learning, less scrolling.
“You know this would increase student’s ability to focus and reduce distractions,” Sen. Amy Grady, R-Mason, explained. “But it also gives them a break from that harmful, maybe cyberbullying that’s happening for six to seven hours each day.”
Now, educators are faced with the challenge of enforcing the ban. Some schools require students to leave phones in lockers, while others have turned to practical tools like phone pouches.
At Morgantown High School, students use Yondr pouches to lock away their phones at the start of the school day. The pouches have a magnetized lock that can only be unlocked by a teacher or principal using a special machine at the end of the school day.
Student reactions to the new rule have been mixed. Some appreciate the reduction in distractions, while others are concerned about losing access to a tool that helps them stay connected and feel safe.
For 16-year-old Ethan Garbrick, the devices are a daily essential.
“If I feel unsafe, I would just get up and leave because I mean I could drive or do whatever,” Garbrick said. “But if I was younger, and I couldn’t do that, I would definitely want to have my phone to reach my parents or call someone.”
Experts say the debate goes beyond just classroom discipline and even safety. Psychologists point out that while phones can be distracting, the impact of technology on learning and development is complex.
“There are different kinds of tasks that are more compatible with each other,” Dr. Elizabeth Cohen, WVU communications professor, explained. “That’s how we can take note, for instance. Listening and writing is a form of multitasking; however, those tasks are more compatible because they’re not requiring attention to go in different directions. Therefore, technology could either help those tasks or hinder them.”
Despite strong legislative support, not everyone agrees with the new ban. Sen. Mike Oliverio, R-Monongalia, was the only member of the State Senate to vote against the bill. He argues that local school leaders, not the state, should decide how to handle phone policies.
“I just felt like what the Legislature was doing was virtue signaling,” Oliverio said. “We’re making this statement to the public that we were solving the problem with students using cellphones, but in reality, what we were doing was creating a problem.”
“We needed to allow those frontline teachers and administrators and principals to make those decisions as to what was best for the individual school and the individual classes.”
Twenty-six states have no enacted bans on cell phones in schools.
This article was adapted from a television news story using AI. All reporting, facts and quotes from sources are original. AI was only used to assist with formatting and style for a digital platform.