High school students get digital freedom — phones are now allowed at lunch
Students in Broward County public high schools can now use their cell phones during their lunch periods.
At the Tuesday, Oct. 14, Broward County Public Schools board meeting at the Kathleen C. Wright Administration Center in Fort Lauderdale, the board voted 5-4 to relax the policy that previously banned phones from the morning bell until dismissal.
Cell phones will remain banned all day for students in kindergarten through eighth grade, in compliance with state law. Students in all grades are still prohibited from using their phones or electronic devices during instructional periods, unless authorized by a teacher for academic reasons.
It is now up to the district to decide whether high school students can use the devices during non-instructional times.
“This is something students have been advocating for, for a long time, something that our students feel is a great opportunity for them to reconnect,” Landyn Spellberg, student advisor to the school board, said in a video released by the school board.
According to the South Florida Sun Sentinel, board members said the change came is response to complaints from students, parents and administrators, who noted that enforcing the previous lunch restriction on large high school campuses was difficult.
“It’s nice to be able to have the cellphones as an option in case you need to coordinate a ride home or get in touch with a family member,” Spellberg said. “For our high school students, this is a very positive change.”
This story was originally published October 15, 2025 at 3:21 PM.
