Texas school cell phone policy
Statewide bell-to-bell prohibition on personal communication devices · HB 1481 (2025) · Effective 2025-26 school year
Texas has one of the strictest statewide laws in the country. HB 1481 requires every public school district and open-enrollment charter to prohibit student use of personal communication devices for the entire school day — not just during lessons. Districts must either ban the devices outright on campus or require them to be stored in a secure area.
What the law says
Scope
Bell-to-bell. The prohibition covers the whole instructional day, including lunch and passing periods, and applies to phones, smartwatches, tablets and other personal communication devices.
Enrollment: ~5.5 million students
Exceptions
- Devices required by a student's IEP or Section 504 plan
- Devices documented as necessary by a licensed physician
- Use authorised by a teacher for a specific educational purpose
- Emergency use as permitted by district policy
Pouches are an accepted method
HB 1481 explicitly contemplates secure storage as the compliance route. Locking pouches satisfy the storage requirement while keeping the device with the student, which avoids the liability and logistics of collecting thousands of phones into a central store.
What compliance looks like on the ground
Students seal their own phone at the door and keep it on them all day. At dismissal they touch the pouch to a fixed magnetic key station and walk out — no staff handling devices, no locker room of phones, and nothing for the district to be liable for.
United States overviewHow it happened
June 2025
HB 1481 signed into law.
1 Sept 2025
Law takes effect for the 2025-26 school year.
2025-26
Districts adopt local policies and buy storage solutions.
Texas districts we track
Houston Independent School District
Houston · Harris County
183,000
students
Bell-to-bell ban with secure storage, under HB 1481
District detailDallas Independent School District
Dallas-Fort Worth · Dallas County
139,000
students
Bell-to-bell ban with secure storage, under HB 1481
District detailNorthside Independent School District
San Antonio · Bexar County
102,000
students
Bell-to-bell ban with secure storage, under HB 1481
District detailHow PhoneLock helps Texas districts comply
Bought outright
Schools and districts buy the pouches and keep them. No per-event rental, no return logistics, same stock reused every school year.
MOQ 100 pcs
Start with a single campus or pilot grade level, then scale district-wide once the policy is bedded in.
2 weeks / 3-4 weeks
Unbranded pouches ship in about 2 weeks. Branded large-quantity orders take 3-4 weeks — plan around your board approval date.
GS 12000 & GS 14000 keys
Magnetic release keys double as the unlock station. Students tap out in seconds at dismissal, so there is no end-of-day queue.
Texas school phone ban — FAQs
Yes. HB 1481, effective for the 2025-26 school year, requires every Texas public school district and open-enrollment charter school to prohibit student use of personal communication devices for the entire school day, or to require them to be stored in a secure area.
Pouches for Texas schools
Tell us your campus headcount and we'll send pricing, lead times and a rollout plan.