Dialing back on distractions: El Cerrito High’s new no-cellphone rules get mixed reception

AS HIGH SCHOOLS across Contra Costa County and the state of California have been finding ways to enforce Gov. Gavin Newsom’s no-smartphone policy, teachers and students are ambivalent about the new law that is set to take effect for the 2026-27 school year.

Although many school districts began implementing policies that prohibit student cellphone use in classrooms a year early, some of those affected are already raising questions about it. Should the law be implemented, and if so, how? What are the potential benefits or harmful impacts it may have on the classroom environment?