Frances Ellen Watkins Harper Junior High

The Harper Bulletin

Harper Junior High School Bulletin  

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DJUSD Board of Education Moves to ‘Away for the Day’ Policy for 26-27 School Year

Posted on 05/08/2026

In October 2024, California passed the Phone-Free Schools Act, which required school districts to put limitations on mobile devices. Since that time, the DJUSD Board of Education has held several meetings discussing the topic of mobile device policy for Davis schools. At the May 7th Board of Education meeting, staff shared information gathered from certificated and administrative staff, along with parent and student feedback on the implications of possible policy and/or implementation changes around the DJUSD Mobile Device Policy for the 2026-27 school year. As part of the discussion to move to an “away for the day” policy for all schools, Board members and voices from staff and the community shared concerns about the negative impacts of cell phone use by adolescents, particularly the addictive qualities of social media and the disruption the devices can have on classroom learning.

In two separate votes, the Board took action to update the mobile device policy for DJUSD. First, the Board unanimously approved “Away for the Day” for elementary (existing policy) and junior high campuses (now to include lunch time) starting in the 2026-27 school year. In a second vote, the Board approved a policy change for high schools that would remove mobile device use from campus and directed staff to return with an implementation plan on June 4, at which point the Board will review the plan and finalize discussion about the high school policy.

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