Last July, Oregon Gov. Tina Kotek issued an executive order requiring all Oregon school districts to adopt policies banning cellphone use. Kotek gave school districts a Jan. 1, 2026, deadline.

Johnna Timms, the Director of Education Initiatives in Kotek’s office, told Oregon’s Senate education committee Tuesday that as of last Friday, 99% of Oregon school districts have policies in place.

“Overwhelmingly, the feedback we are receiving from the field, students, and families has been positive,” Timms said.

High school students from ODE’s Youth Advisory Council reported feeling more engaged with their peers and in class.

Only four school districts, all with fewer than 50 students enrolled, have yet to implement a policy.

“ODE has reached out with options for ready-to-adopt policies and technical assistance,” Timms said.

Tuesday’s Senate Education Committee meeting marked the beginning of a short legislative session where lawmakers will attempt to pass bills on transportation, climate, immigration and education. Senators did not take any action at Tuesday’s meeting.

Timms noted that some students still express concern about being unable to reach their parents in an emergency. She said school administrators and state officials are continuing to look for ways to improve the implementation of the cellphone ban.

“The adults in their lives still have more work to do,” Timms said. “Policies alone will not help our students feel safe or build connections — we must do that.”

The Oregon Department of Education continues to host monthly office hours through May to offer support to schools and districts. The agency recently published information about student exemptions to the policy and potential solutions

The presentation on the policy implementation also included comments from school staff and leaders around the state.

In the Jefferson County School District, an “off and away” class time cellphone policy has been in place for a couple of years now. But this school year, the Central Oregon district added a lunchtime restriction. Both the district superintendent Jay Mathieson and high school principal Tony Summers said the “positives far outweigh the negatives”.

“They [students] didn’t realize how big of a distraction cellphones were for them until we took them away from them,” Summers said.

“Online harassment and bullying, that’s pretty much almost nonexistent for us at this point,” Summers said, noting that incidents do occasionally still come up.

The president of the Oregon Education Association, Enrique Farrera, shared the results of a survey sent out to members working in K-12 schools. Almost 600 educators responded to the survey.

“88% see clear benefits,” Farrera reported. “Only 6% reported mixed results, and 1% reported just negative impact.”

Librarians from two Portland-area schools shared their experiences.

Paige Battle is a librarian at Grant High School in Portland.

“Beyond the benefit of more social interaction taking place, I’ve also noticed an increase in teachers collaborating with me to schedule library visits,” Battle shared, adding that she wants to see students build stronger media literacy skills.

Battle said she’s seen a 14.5% increase in book circulation this school year.

“Students are given time at the start of their English classes to do silent sustained reading, and without a phone or screen to distract them, they are turning to books,” Battle said. “This is really important because this is a way that they are building their reading stamina, and this is a skill that’s going to be critical as they move on from secondary school.”

Another librarian, Carrie Light from the Lake Oswego School District, submitted written testimony, applauding how the cellphone ban is bringing life back to the library.

“Our two high school libraries have grown into social hubs, where we welcome conversations and collaboration,” Light wrote. In addition to studying, students can also play chess, do puzzles, and color in the libraries.

“This shift has turned the library into a sought-after gathering place, where all students are welcome, and we don’t ‘ssshhhh’.”

Oregon senator and committee chair Lew Frederick (D-N/NE Portland) summed up the success of the state’s effort in his final comments.

“You mean it worked?” he asked with a chuckle.

News Source : https://www.opb.org/article/2026/02/03/99-percent-of-oregon-schools-have-implemented-cell-phone-ban/