NJ Schools Cellphone Ban Creates Confusion, Enforcement Questions For Cranford BOE

CRANFORD, NJ — A new New Jersey law limiting student cellphone use during the school day is raising questions in Cranford schools, though district officials say students will not be required to hand over their phones when they arrive at school.

Superintendent Mark Cantagallo addressed the issue during a recent Cranford Board of Education meeting as the district works through how to implement the state requirements.

The law bans the use of internet-enabled devices, including smartphones and smartwatches, during the school day from “bell to bell.”

Cantagallo said the district has temporarily delayed adopting a formal policy after receiving guidance from the policy group, which noted there is still uncertainty in the state mandate.

“As a result, we’re a bit in limbo when it comes to the policy,” Cantagallo said, adding the district expects to revisit the issue by June if no additional guidance comes from the state.

He also addressed concerns from parents and students about how enforcement will work in Cranford schools.

“To calm everybody down a little bit, to take a little bit of the edge off, we do not, at any grade level, plan to collect phones unless they’re being misused,” Cantagallo said.

He said students will still be allowed to keep phones in lockers or bags during the school day.

“Kids will not be walking through the doors of the school and dropping things in bags or lockers or any of that stuff,” Cantagallo said. “You're more than welcome to keep it in your locker. You're more than welcome to keep it in your bag, but we, as a school, are not going to be collecting them on a regular basis.”

Cantagallo added that Cranford’s elementary and middle schools are already in a strong position when it comes to limiting cellphone use, pointing to positive feedback from staff and parents over the past two years.

“They’ve really had a positive impact on their well-being in general,” he said.

The district’s approach moving forward will focus on students keeping devices “off and away” during the school day. However, Cantagallo said staff will still intervene if phones become disruptive in class.

“Just like any other thing that would be a distraction to school, if it's too distractive, we end up collecting that too,” he said.

The Board of Education is expected to revisit and finalize the policy in the coming months.