New cellphone ban has mixed reviews

On Jan. 1, 2026, all schools in Oregon were ordered by Executive Order 25-09 to have a policy banning phone and personal electronic usage during the school day. This ban was not brought on by the school district, but by the state and signed by Governor Tina Kotek. The executive order makes a standard for the state, but allows districts to have some leeway with the policy in certain situations. For medical reasons, or for disabilities that rely on a device, you could be permitted to use your cellphone or personal electronic devices during school hours. However, if you don't need your personal devices for medical or disability reasons and you're found having them on your person or using devices during school hours, they will be taken. The first offense, your device will be taken to the office and you can pick it up at the end of the day. Any further offenses will require the device to be collected by a parent or guardian. The rule is to discourage students from going against the phone ban, which was implemented to deliver a high-quality public education and protect Oregon students’ safety, health, and wellbeing.

Depending on whether you're talking to teachers or students, the general opinion of the phone ban differs. Teachers have been happy and have had a positive reaction to the phone ban, while most students have had a negative reaction. When talking to teachers, they tend to have many different reasons for liking the phone ban, but all have the same overarching reason: student focus and mental health. Of the 10 teachers asked, all 10 had mentioned student focus and mental health as a positive from the ban. Rainier High School teacher Brian Sherburne said, “The personal electronics ban has created a situation where at school and not in the virtual world the benefit to student mental health and academic learning has been well worth the change.”

Some teachers have noticed a lot of students not listening to the rule and not getting the benefits of the phone ban. “The phone ban has helped support student learning, and I have seen grades increase with students not texting through class,” said Rainier High School teacher Lisa Langner. “I would like to see more students respect the phone ban, and just leave it off and away.”

Almost all teachers are in complete agreement with the phone ban, while most students do not agree with it fully. Some understand the benefits with focus and more time to socialize, while others only see the lack of freedom. "I very much dislike the phone rule, especially when we can't even have them during lunch, which is our time,” said Ella, a sophomore at Rainier High School. The majority of students who were asked just wished for their phones during lunch because it's not a learning time but a break from learning. Many didn't see how having a phone or personal electronic device could be harmful to the socialization of their break time. Before the ban, most classes were not allowing students to have any electronics out, but they were allowed them during lunch. Rainier High School freshman Haily said, “I feel like the phone ban has properly helped some students focus in class, but I strongly think that we should be allowed our phones at lunch time because it is our break time.”

Students have also brought up how phones can help make some classroom activities easier and can give students privacy to contact people without having to go through the office. Personal electronics can improve classroom activities by giving students and teachers a cheaper way to participate in class activities. “Overall, I think it's a good implementation because phone usage is a big problem and it inhibits learning a lot,” said Rainier High School senior Ethan. “But I think it needs to give some teachers some leeway in specific situations such as using it for photography or other enhancements of learning.”

Being able to use your phone when permitted in class would allow more students to participate in a more active way. Another student brought up another issue with the ban: privacy and parent/guardian contacting. If a student wants to contact their parents or guardians, they need to go up to the office and call them. The issues with this are the lack of privacy and the fact that there's a chance the person the student is trying to reach does not answer. “I find it good but also bad,” said Rainier High School freshman Laila. “The good is them not using their phone, but [it’s] bad if they get their phone taken away when trying to deal with a family emergency. If they take the phone, you can't contact family in any way other than the office, and that's not very private.” The phone ban has helped many students stay on top of work without distractions, but it has brought some concerns.

The jury is still out on the effectiveness and implementation of this statewide phone ban. As it stands now, students are not allowed to have their personal devices on their person during school hours.