New Jersey Gov. Mikie Sherrill visited Cherry Hill High School East on Oct. 22 to hear how this year's K-12 school cellphone restriction policy is working on the ground. The state education commissioner and the district superintendent said students are more focused in class and are talking with one another more, but no figures backing up those results were released.
New Jersey Gov. Mikie Sherrill visited Cherry Hill High School East in Camden County on Thursday, Oct. 22, to hear from students about how the K-12 school cellphone restriction policy that took effect this fall is working in schools. The state government's position is that the policy helps students' mental health and academic achievement.
The program stems from a law signed in January of this year by then-Gov. Phil Murphy. Beginning with the 2026-27 school year, every public school district must adopt a policy restricting students' use of cellphones and internet-connected devices. The restrictions apply throughout the school day, including lunch, study halls and time spent moving between classrooms. Each district decides how devices are stored, whether in locking pouches, lockers or classroom storage bins.
At Cherry Hill High School East, students must keep their devices turned off and out of sight. Violations are met with a tiered response, and depending on the circumstances, a student may have to leave the device in a phone locker for the remainder of the school days. Giovanna Biglietta, a senior at the school, said that after two years when phones were allowed, two months under the restriction have made her "more productive and less stressed."
State Education Commissioner Lily Laux explained that once an adjustment period passes, schools see greater focus in class and more student engagement, along with less social media-related disruption. Kwame Morton, superintendent of the Cherry Hill school district, said face-to-face conversation among students has increased and teachers no longer have to compete with devices for attention. However, the information released by the state did not include numerical data comparing the period before and after the policy took effect, and the accounts rely on officials' remarks and the experience of one student.
Assembly Majority Leader Lou Greenwald and state Sen. Paul Moriarty also attended and backed the policy. The New Jersey School Boards Association and the New Jersey PTA said they would help districts carry out the policy and that input from parents, students and teachers should be reflected. Sherrill said she will continue efforts to protect children's safety online. In August, the state signed three bills related to an "age-appropriate design code" that limits the collection of children's personal information, and on Oct. 19 it selected Rutgers University to host a state social media research center.