2/12/2026

UPPER MICHIGAN - Michigan is banning smartphones during class time in public schools, starting this fall. Gov. Gretchen Whitmer signed a bill into law Tuesday, saying phones distract students and disrupt learning. Students can still bring phones to school and use them between classes and at lunch. Districts will decide how to enforce the rule. Schools also must post their phone policy online and explain enforcement plans. The law does allow basic phones during instruction. It also allows medical devices that operate through smartphones, such as glucose meters. A second law requires schools to create a protocol about when and how students can use a smartphone during an emergency.