Last year, Santa Barbara Unified’s “Off and Away” meant phones parked in classroom “cell hotels” during lessons and set free at lunch. This year at Goleta Valley and La Colina junior high schools, it means no phones, period. From first bell to 2:53 p.m., students’ cells are sealed in signal-blocking pouches that stay in backpacks. Notifications can’t buzz, pings can’t alert, and rings can’t intrude.
Governor Gavin Newsom praised the early policy last year and later signed Assembly Bill 3216, requiring every California district to limit student phone use by July 1, 2026. S.B. Unified got there early, then pushed further.
Superintendent Hilda Maldonado said the shift started with teachers. “We really need to have phones put away,” she recalled. Early versions focused on classrooms. High schools adopted cell hotels; junior highs asked to go all day. “Two of the four junior high school principals agreed to do it, deciding to use the pouches this time … the other two are watching closely.”…