There has been much reporting on the upcoming bans for in class cell phone use – it makes sense that these may be much more distracting than the cell phones of years past, with constant social interactions or distractions. But for those who want to communicate, what are the rules for simply using a GMRS or ham radio for necessary communication throughout the day?
Oregon
In Oregon, HB2251 A defines banned personal devices like so:
(a) “Personal electronic device” means a portable, electrically powered device that is capable of making and receiving calls and text messages and accessing the Internet independently from the school’s network infrastructure.
(b) “Personal electronic device” does not include a laptop computer or other device required to support academic activities.
(2) A district school board shall adopt a policy for the use of personal electronic devices
by students.
(3) Except as provided by subsection (4) of this section, a policy adopted under this section must prohibit the use of personal electronic devices by students from the start of regular instructional hours until the end of regular instructional hours, including passing time
between classes and time provided for serving and eating meals.
(4) A policy adopted under this section must provide for the use of a personal electronic
device by a student when the use complies with the terms of:
(a) The student’s medical provider’s order for the care and treatment of a medical condition;
(b) The student’s individualized education program, as defined in ORS 343.035; or
(c) An education plan developed for the student in accordance with section 504 of the
Rehabilitation Act of 1973, 29 U.S.C. 794.
(5) The policy must provide consequences for a student’s violation of the prohibition
against the use of personal electronic devices under this section.
(6) A school district shall ensure that the policy is made available to:
(a) School district personnel; and
(b) Students and parents or guardians of students.
California
In California, governor Newsom passed Assembly Bill 3216 last year. This does not define smartphone but specifically only bans smartphones:
Notwithstanding subdivision (a), a pupil shall not be prohibited from possessing or using a smartphone under any of the following circumstances:
(1)In the case of an emergency, or in response to a perceived threat of danger.
(2)When a teacher or administrator of the school district, county office of education, or charter school grants permission to a pupil to possess or use a smartphone, subject to any reasonable limitation imposed by that teacher or administrator.
(3)When a licensed physician and surgeon determines that the possession or use of a smartphone is necessary for the health or well-being of the pupil.
(4)When the possession or use of a smartphone is required in a pupils individualized education program.
(c)This section does not authorize monitoring, collecting, or otherwise accessing any information related to a pupils online activities.
Washington
According to HB 1122, schools will have to make some policy – on restricting any communication device:
“Mobile device” means any personal mobile telephone or other
portable electronic communication device with which a user engages in
a call or writes or sends a message, or any device in which the user
plays a game or watches a video, except that such term does not
include school-issued devices.
Idaho
In the Phone Free Learning Act, schools are encouraged to comply with a checklist that includes “cell phones”, and specifies a school should have a policy “Outline what devices are included, for example, cell phones, tablets, smart watches, etc.”.
Kentucky
In House Bill 208, it specifies “telecommunications device”:
The policy shall, at a minimum, prohibit a student’s use of a personal
telecommunications device during instructional time, except during an emergency,
if directed to do so by a teacher for an instructional purpose, or if authorized by a
teacher.
District of Columbia
In DC, the cell phone ban is the Disconnect Act of 2025 (260073), and it specifies:
LEA serving students enrolled in grades K-12 shall adopt and implement a personal wireless communication device policy that prohibits K-12 students from, at a minimum, possessing a personal wireless communication device on school premises at any time during the full school day.
Alternatives
For many of the states above, only a cell phone or “smartphone” is banned for use within the school day. I’m not a lawyer, and your actual rules at your local school will probably vary – but this seems fair, allowing small radios for listening to news at lunch, and FRS/GMRS radios that can speak to nearby family or friends on the same channel.
GMRS radio requires only a FCC license purchase and generally these radios can go quite a few miles!
Amateur radio bands are much more varied and have many more options, with thousands of repeaters that could let you talk with people across the state or across the world on an internet linked repeater. This requires a ham radio license which requires a class, and a test to pass for a license. On a Digital repeater you can also set up notifications for a text message when someone is on the radio!
To find the nearby repeaters, you can use Repeater-START – the premium version has step by step instructions on how to program it into your radio.