Indiana Governor Mike Braun made it official on Wednesday. He ceremonially signed Senate Enrolled Act 78, locking in a statewide “bell-to-bell” cellphone ban that will silence student phones in every public and charter school classroom starting July 1, 2026. The move puts Indiana among the strictest states in the country on student device use.

What the New Indiana Phone Law Actually Does

The law forces every public school district and charter school to adopt a written policy that keeps cellphones, smartwatches, tablets, laptops and gaming devices out of student hands for the entire school day. Lunch periods and hallway passing time are no longer safe zones for scrolling.

Schools must choose between two enforcement paths. Under a “no device” policy, students cannot bring phones onto campus at all. Under a “storage policy,” they may bring devices but must keep them powered off, locked away and inaccessible from the first bell to the last.

Braun officially signed the bill on March 5 after it cleared the General Assembly with bipartisan support. Wednesday’s event at the Clark-Pleasant Community School Corporation in Whiteland was the public celebration, with bill author Sen. Jeff Raatz and sponsor Rep. Jake Teshka standing beside him.

“Constant distraction affects learning, behavior, attention and mental health,” Braun said at the signing. He called the policy a practical step to restore focus in Indiana classrooms.

Who Is Covered and Who Gets an Exception

The rules apply to traditional public schools and charter schools across Indiana. Private schools, including those that accept state vouchers, are not covered after a Democratic amendment to include them failed.

The Indiana Senate passed the measure 36 to 12 in February, with seven Democrats and five Republicans voting against it.

Lawmakers carved out narrow but important exceptions:

• Students with documented medical needs that require phone-connected monitoring
• Students with Individualized Education Programs (IEPs) or 504 plans
• English learners who need language translation tools
• Real emergencies during the school day

The Indiana Department of Education has been ordered to publish model policy language and implementation guidance for districts. As of the signing, that guidance had not been released.

One more twist sits inside the fine print. Until July 1, 2028, teachers can still allow students to use school-sanctioned personal laptops or tablets for classwork. After that date, learning devices must be supplied by the school itself.

Why Lawmakers Pushed for a Tighter Ban

Indiana already had a phone law on the books. The 2024 statute banned phones only during instructional time, leaving lunch and passing periods wide open.

Educators told the Statehouse the old rules were nearly impossible to enforce. Phones kept slipping out under desks. Teachers were burning energy playing classroom cop instead of teaching.

Sen. Jeff Raatz, R-Richmond, put it bluntly. “In the perfect world, no cellphone will get past the front door of the school,” he said.

“Our children were not just distracted, they were addicted.” Marissa Tanner, seventh-grade teacher at Northview Middle School, Indianapolis

Tanner’s school went bell-to-bell in 2024. State data showed Northview’s ILEARN pass rates jumped by more than 40% in both math and English between 2024 and 2025.

Fort Wayne piloted a similar policy in 2023-24 and now uses magnetic locking pouches districtwide. The cost ran roughly $400,000 to $500,000, much of it covered through the state’s Secured School Safety Grant.

How Indiana Stacks Up Against Other States

The bell-to-bell movement has gone national in less than two years. Recent data shows 31 states now have laws banning phones in classrooms, and a smaller group has gone all the way to full-day bans.

Public support is strong. A 2025 Pew Research Center study found that 75% of U.S. adults back banning phones in middle and high school classes, up from 68% a year earlier.

Braun framed Indiana’s version as a national benchmark. He called SEA 78 “one of the most significant statements of any state legislature on this particular issue.”

Parent Concerns and What Schools Do Next

Not every Hoosier is cheering. Some parents and school leaders still worry about reaching their kids during a school shooting or other crisis.

“If something were to happen near a school, or at a school, or in a school, they want to be able to reach their child,” one Northwest Indiana superintendent told board members.

The research picture is mixed. A new study from Stanford, Duke, the University of Michigan and the University of Pennsylvania, the largest of its kind, found phone bans had no discernible effect on test scores, attendance or classroom attention. The same study did report meaningful gains in student well-being.

Schools across Johnson County and other districts are already rewriting policies. Whiteland Community High School Principal Duke Lines called hosting the governor a great honor and said his building will have dedicated phone storage spots ready by fall.

The conversation may not be over. Rep. Jake Teshka said lawmakers are now looking at school-issued Chromebooks and tablets too. Asked about extending the rule to school buses, Braun smiled and replied, “There’s always next year.”

When Indiana students return to school this fall, the glow of screens will give way to something older and simpler: eye contact, classroom conversation and a teacher’s voice without competition. For some kids it will feel like freedom. For others it will feel like loss. But for the first time in years, every Hoosier classroom from Gary to Evansville will get to find out what learning sounds like without a buzz in every pocket. What do you think about Indiana’s bell-to-bell phone ban? Share your views in the comments and tell us how your family plans to handle the change.