Do 90% of Wisconsin school districts ban cellphones during class time?

When the state Legislature kicked off a new session in 2025, one of the first areas of focus for Republicans was education. 

Bills recently passed by the state Assembly — one step toward reaching the governor’s desk — included reversing changes to test score benchmarks and requiring cursive and civics to be taught in schools. 

Another bill would require school boards to adopt a policy by July 2026 that prohibits students from using cell phones during instructional time. 

At a Feb. 19, 2025, press conference before his bill passed the Assembly, state Rep. Joel Kitchens, a Republican from Sturgeon Bay, said "90% of the (school) districts in Wisconsin already have a policy" like the one the bill requires.

During floor debate on the bill, Democrats argued the bill would take away local control from school boards. Kitchens has pushed back on that idea.

"What we really need here is a unified approach," Kitchens said at the press conference. "We are saying to the school districts that we’re standing with you on this, because everyone agrees this is a problem."

The 90% figure caught our attention, especially when there’s so much debate over a policy that might already be par for the course in most school districts. 

Is it true that the vast majority of Wisconsin school districts already ban cellphones during class time? 

Let’s take a look.

PolitiFact Wisconsin reached out to Kitchens’ office to ask where the 90% number came from. They pointed us to the Department of Public Instruction’s testimony during a Feb. 11 public hearing for the bill. 

The department referenced its annual Digital Learning Survey. About 320 of the 421 public school districts in Wisconsin participated in the voluntary survey for the 2024-25 school year, officials said. 

Approximately 90% of districts that took part in the survey "already have some sort of restrictive cellphone policy in place," according to the department. 

Fewer than 10% of districts did not have a cellphone policy and left it up to teachers to decide how to manage cell phone use in their classrooms, the survey found. 

While about a quarter of school districts did not participate in the survey, the 75% who did respond still represent the vast majority of districts in Wisconsin. 

Cellphone policies ‘vary significantly’ by school district 

While the 90% number is solid, it’s quite vague when referring to school districts having "some sort of restrictive cellphone policy." 

The results of the Digital Learning Survey drills down into that 90% number. Of that 90% total, about 26% of districts allow high school students to use cellphones in common areas but not classrooms. 

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About 44% of districts apply that policy for middle schoolers, along with high school students. And around 21% of districts have a full cellphone ban at all schools. 

In its testimony, DPI noted cellphone policies "vary significantly."

"In general, middle and high schools tend to have some form of restriction, while elementary schools usually enforce a ‘no phones during the day’ policy," DPI said.

The Milwaukee Journal Sentinel also reported a sampling of districts’ cellphone policies at the beginning of the 2024-25 school year. 

Some schools require students to place cellphones in caddies before the start of class. Many districts allow students to use devices outside of class, like during passing time and lunch.

The bill also requires cellphone policies to have exceptions, allowing students to use phones during emergencies and threats, for example, or to manage their health care.

Kitchens, in his own testimony, said the bill was written "as open as possible" and that each district will determine how to best restrict phones and enforce it. 

Kitchens said "90% of the (school) districts in Wisconsin already have a policy" that bans cellphones during instructional time. 

The Department of Public Instruction cited that 90% figure when testifying about Kitchens’ bill that would require districts to have that policy.

While specific policies vary by district, that 90% figure includes districts that either fully ban cellphones in schools or prohibit them in classrooms.

We rate his claim True.