Students at Antilles Middle School in Puerto Rico engage in a small-group activity on Feb. 25, 2025. The Department of Defense Education Activity introduced a new policy Friday barring students from using personal cell phones and other electronic devices during the school day beginning Aug. 1, a change officials say is intended to remove distractions and keep classrooms focused on learning. (Michael O’Day/DODEA)
Students attending the Pentagon’s schools starting in August, when the new school year kicks off, will no longer be allowed to keep personal electronic devices on them during the school day, according to new guidance.
Smartphones, smartwatches, tablets, Bluetooth-enabled devices and gaming systems with internet-connected capability must be silenced or turned off and securely stored from the start of the school day until dismissal, according to a form letter emailed to parents and guardians from some Department of Defense Education Activity principals.
“This change will remove distractions and keep the focus of our classrooms on education,” said the memo, which was viewed by Stars and Stripes. DODEA is also known as the Department of War Education Activity.
The implementation guidance notes that exceptions to the school-day ban on devices will be allowed for medical purposes, certain accommodations, special education services and approved instructional activities, such as digital photography or curriculum-based projects.
Students who need to contact home during the school day will be able to do so using a school telephone in a designated location with staff approval, the note to parents says.
“We are sharing this information now so families have time to prepare for these updated expectations before the start of next school year,” the email says. “We appreciate your partnership in reinforcing these expectations and supporting a focused, safe, and productive learning environment for all students.”
The letter did not say whether schools would provide a secure place for students to store their devices during instructional time, such as lockers.
Prior to the DODEA-wide ban, smartphone use in the Pentagon’s school system, which serves more than 65,000 children of American service members and DOD personnel stationed in the United States and overseas, varied by school. Some schools already limited use of devices, while others had no restrictions.
In the U.S., at least nine states have laws in place to curtail students’ use of cellphones during school hours.
The restrictions reflect a broader push by educators and policymakers who say smartphones have become a major classroom distraction and may contribute to student mental health and behavioral problems.
