Jersey City students returned to school this week as school district officials are mulling a big change to the district’s cellphone policy.

Cellphones and other personal communications devices will be prohibited in classrooms, with some exceptions, under a district-wide policy proposed by the school board.

Students would still be allowed to use cellphones during lunch and recess periods, but not during bathroom breaks, according to the plan.

The policy was introduced at a school board meeting last week and could be up for a vote at the next board meeting on Sept. 18.

Jersey City is the latest school district to consider restrictions on classroom use of cellphones, eight months after Gov. Phil Murphy called for a statewide ban.

A new statewide policy in New York bars unsanctioned use of cellphones and other devices for the entire school day. The policy, backed by Gov. Kathy Hochul, debuted Thursday in New York City as students returned to classes.

Many of New Jersey’s approximately 600 public school districts restrict cellphone use in classrooms, but the policies and possible punishments vary. Some require students to keep their phones off and out of sight, while others provide locations for the devices to be stored during the school day.

Thursday was the first day of classes in Jersey City, the second-largest city in New Jersey. Its school district has approximately 27,000 students attending more than three dozen schools.

Jersey City officials and residents have been discussing possible restrictions on cellphones for more than a year. The talks are part of a nationwide debate on whether phones and other personal communication devices are detracting from academic performance and worsening bullying and other problems.

Students would be banned from “using or accessing” their devices during instructional time and prohibited from accessing social media platforms, according to the Jersey City proposal.

Similar to cellphone restrictions in other districts, the Jersey City plan includes exemptions for students with disabilities or health issues.

The Jersey City school board voted in December to authorize schools superintendent Norma Fernandez and the board’s lawyer to draft a policy for consideration.

Fernandez did not immediately respond to a request for comment.

Jersey City launched a pilot program limiting cellphone use at two schools more than a year ago.

One of the schools partnered with Yondr, a San Francisco-based company that offers a lockable pouch for cellphones. The pouch renders a cellphone unusable until the pouch is tapped on an unlocking base.

However, Jersey City’s newly proposed policy does not require pouches or the use of a specific vendor or approach to curtailing the use of cellphones.

School administrators would have the option of requiring phones stored in backpacks or a storage unit, according to the plan. Devices would be turned off, or placed on airplane mode.

Devices could be confiscated from students who violate the policy until the end of the day, according to the proposal. Repeated violations might result in disciplinary action, though the plan doesn’t give any details about punishments.

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Rob Jennings may be reached at rjennings@njadvancemedia.com.

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