When students at Coachella Valley Unified School District return to school Wednesday, Aug. 19, those in eighth grade or younger will have to silence or turn off their cellphones and keep them out of sight for the entire school day.
High school students can use their phones at lunch and between classes, but they'll have to put them away during class.
The rules are in response to a state law that required California school districts and charter schools to adopt policies by July 1 limiting or prohibiting students' smartphone use. The legislation, Assembly Bill 3216, is known as the Phone-Free Schools Act.
CVUSD is set to adopt the revised policy Thursday, Aug. 13, less than a week before the 2026-27 school year. The district has spent months gathering
feedback on the changes through surveys and family webinars, with another Zoom session scheduled for Aug. 17, two days before students return to school.
"We also need to do a lot of teaching, right?" Socorro Sanchez, CVUSD's assistant superintendent of educational services, told the school board in July. "It's about teaching our families, our students of the dangers of cellphone use and really ensuring that they understand."
All three Coachella Valley K-12 districts allow students to use their phones in certain circumstances, including during an emergency, for certain health needs or with permission from a teacher or administrator. They also make exceptions when a student's individualized education program, a legally binding plan for students with disabilities, requires access to a device.
The districts' policies also spell out consequences for breaking the rules, including when a phone can be taken away, and address when school officials may search a student's device.
What are Coachella Valley Unified's cellphone rules?
CVUSD's new rules are stricter for younger students.
Students in transitional kindergarten through eighth grade have to keep their phones silenced or turned off and out of sight all day.
High school students can use their phones before school, at lunch, between classes and after the final bell. During class, however, they have to put them away unless a teacher or administrator says they can use them for schoolwork.
Meta smart glasses are also not allowed. Elementary and middle school students generally can't use smartwatches or wearable technology unless it is being used for schoolwork.
If students break the rules, CVUSD plans to start with reminders and parent contact before escalating to referrals, temporary confiscation of the phone or restrictions from school activities.
"We do have restorative opportunities for our students, but we're not suspending," Sanchez said. "We're not giving them negative consequences, but we're actually teaching them why this is so important."
CVUSD can also discipline students for certain phone use away from campus, including conduct that threatens students or staff or significantly disrupts school activities.
What are Desert Sands Unified's cellphone rules?
Desert Sands Unified School District allows students to use their phones outside of class, including during lunch and before or after school. During class, phones can stay on, but they have to be silenced and put away.
The same basic rule applies across all grade levels, unlike at Coachella Valley Unified and Palm Springs Unified school districts.
If a student uses a phone when it is not allowed, a school employee can temporarily take it away and the student may face discipline. Students can also face discipline for off-campus phone use if it threatens students, staff or district property, or substantially disrupts school activities.
What are Palm Springs Unified's cellphone rules?
Palm Springs Unified School District does not allow students in transitional kindergarten through fifth grade to use phones once they arrive on campus for the school day. Phones have to be turned off and put away until the school day ends. The rule also covers devices such as smartwatches, smart glasses and wireless earbuds.
Students in grades 6 to 12 can use their phones at lunch, but they have to keep them turned off and put away during class and between classes. Middle and high schools can also choose to adopt stricter rules that ban phones at lunch.
Teachers can allow students to use their phones for schoolwork, such as answering a class poll, looking up information for a lesson or sending a school-related email.
Phones and other devices can't be used in locker rooms, restrooms or other places where people expect privacy.
Using a phone when it isn't allowed could mean having it taken away temporarily or requiring a parent to pick it up from school. Students can also lose permission to bring a device to school or school events.
Jennifer Cortez covers education and breaking news in the Coachella Valley. Reach her at jennifer.cortez@desertsun.com.
This article originally appeared on Palm Springs Desert Sun: What are new rules on phones in school in the Coachella Valley?
