All Washington state K-12 schools should have “off and away all day” cell phone policies, the state Office of the Superintendent of Public Instruction (OSPI) announced this month.
The announcement comes after Thurston County’s largest school district adopted a formal cell phone policy.
Despite the action taken by North Thurston Public Schools, state Superintendent Chris Reykdal, citing OSPI data, said one-third of Washington schools lack a mobile device policy.
Reykdal plans to propose a bill requiring all Washington state schools to enact away-all-day rules. If approved in the coming legislative session, the policy would take effect in the 2027-28 academic year.
Notifications disrupt focus and distracted students engage less in class, according to an OSPI policy proposal that was shared with The Olympian.
Messages, games and social media pull student attention from instruction or assigned tasks. Access to social feeds during the school day, according to the document, increases cyberbullying and student anxiety.
Under the proposal, all Washington school districts would be mandated to adopt a written policy requiring students to leave phones at home or stored away.
Gov. Bob Ferguson has also said he plans to prioritize away-all-day policies in the coming legislative session.
OSPI spokeswoman Katy Payne said the superintendent’s office believes the governor’s proposal is similar to theirs, although Ferguson hasn’t shared any documents yet.
What are Thurston County schools doing?
North Thurston Public Schools entered an agreement with the teacher’s union in 2024 to create an away-all-day expectation for students.
“That was not a policy, but expectations for all students,” NTPS spokeswoman Amy Blondin told The Olympian.
But recently, the NTPS school board created a formal rule on cell phones, changing students’ level of access.
High school students will be permitted to use their phones during lunch and passing periods this fall. Students in pre-school through eighth grade must have phones off and put away.
“After speaking with students and school leaders, we felt it was best to provide some flexibility during the day for high school students, who may need to check in on jobs, sports or other activities,” Board President Esperanza Badillo-Diiorio told The Olympian Friday.
“We also felt it was important to support our older students in learning to navigate using mobile devices appropriately during the day, as they prepare to enter college, careers, trade schools, or the military.”
Although 2024 marked the district’s first rulemaking on cell phones, the July 14 decision is the first board-driven device policy to come from NTPS.
Tumwater School District introduced a similar away-all-day expectation in 2024, and they’re sticking with it.
There’s not a school board policy for cell phone use, said Tumwater School District spokeswoman Laurie Wiedenmeyer. Instead, the district’s electronic resources policy dictates how students can use devices – the away-all-day expectation is an addition to this existing piece of the handbook.
The electronic resources policy is clear: school staff retain final authority in how students can use their devices.
“Absent a specific and articulated need, such as assistive technology, students do not have an absolute right to possess or use personal electronic devices at school,” Wiedenmeyer wrote in an email to The Olympian.
Olympia School District enacted its cell phone policy in 2011, which permits students to access devices before and after scholl and during lunch periods. This rule was created by the school board.
Students who violate the rule may face device confiscation at administrators discretion.
OSD spokesman Conor Schober said the district doesn’t plan to alter its policy.
Anna Hull is The Olympian’s summer 2026 news reporting intern. Anna is entering her fourth year at the University of Washington in Seattle, where she is majoring in journalism. Anna also recently concluded her term as the News Editor for The Daily, the UW’s student newspaper.
