BEXAR COUNTY, Texas – Texas students begin their second semester with a phone ban in place this January. The conversation sparked a debate over whether students should be allowed to have access to their phone at all during the school day.
North East Independent School District was at the center of this controversy at the end of 2025 as a complaint to the Texas Education Agency highlighted NEISD’s policy as being noncompliant with state law.
The district was allowing students to use their phones during passing periods and during lunch, an option that NEISD student Aaron Matson enjoyed.
“During passing periods you can check your grades in the classes,” Matson said. “I felt it was very useful to use it during passing periods because if I had an issue, if I needed to receive allergy medication — because I’m very prone to allergies — I could just text my mom and then she could bring it over during the passing period.”
NEISD will have to adjust their phone policy by sending a new plan to the state by Jan. 9, according to the TEA. The district will have to implement the policy by Jan. 30.
Other districts, like Judson Independent School District, where student Te’Arra Bines attends, have a ban in place and don’t allow students to have their phones even during the passing period.
“I’ve been at this school for four years,” Bines said. “I already have my people where I sit during lunch, but if I didn’t have that and I also didn’t have access to my phone, I’d freak out.”
The two students both said they don’t like the phone ban and wish that all students could use their phones during passing periods and lunch, but they both see the positives in the ban, too.
“There’s been less fights,” Bines said. “Usually going to Judson, it’s kind of known a little bit for the physical altercations, but as far as I know, there hasn’t been as many.”
Matson said he has noticed a decreased use in AI from his peers.
“When I used to complete work, I would just hop on my phone, but I could do more productive things like work on other assignments,” Matson said.
NEISD will have a board meeting in January allowing parents to speak publicly about the phone ban ahead of the date the district is required to implement a new phone ban policy.
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