Rochester Community Schools students returned to class with new cell phone restrictions when the 2026-27 school year began Aug. 24, as a Michigan law signed in February requires every public school district to keep devices out of students' hands during instruction.

Superintendent Nicholas Russo said the district's guidelines vary by age group. Under the district's updated Code of Conduct, high school students at Rochester, Adams and Stoney Creek may use phones in hallways during passing time, in parking lots, in the cafeteria at lunch and during extracurricular activities. They may not use or possess an active device in class or on buses without explicit staff permission.

The rules are tighter for younger students. Middle and elementary school students may not use or possess an active electronic device at any time without staff permission.

All students, regardless of grade, are banned from using devices in restrooms, locker rooms, offices and other locations where people have a reasonable expectation of privacy.

"Nothing is more important than the safety and well-being of our school community," Russo said in a Sept. 1 statement released by state Rep. Josh Schriver. "The law requiring school districts to implement a wireless communications device policy allows us to be intentional about the use of technology in our buildings, and support the focus on learning."

Russo also said in the statement that the district's investment in safety and security systems can help ease concerns for parents who cannot be in direct contact with their child during the school day.

The state law behind the changes, House Bill 4141 and Senate Bill 495, was signed by Gov. Gretchen Whitmer on Feb. 10 at Waverly High School. HB 4141 was sponsored by Rep. Mark Tisdel, a Rochester Hills Republican, giving the legislation a direct local tie. The bills cleared the House 99-10 and the Senate 34-1, according to 9&10 News.

A companion bill, SB 495, requires each district to include a protocol for when and how students may use a device during an emergency as part of its emergency operations plan, according to WZZM.

The law sets a floor: districts must ban phone use during instructional time but can go further. Students may still carry basic "dumb phones," medically necessary devices and district-owned devices used for instruction, according to Bridge Michigan. Private and parochial schools are exempt. The law does not include penalties for districts that fail to comply.

Schriver, an Oxford Republican who represents District 66, said in the release that the policy helps teachers compete less with screens. He said limiting phone access will help students build self-discipline and communication skills they need later in life.

The district's full Code of Conduct, last updated Aug. 4, is posted on the RCS website.