July 2, 2025 11:15 a.m.

Wednesday morning, Oregon Governor Tina Kotek issued an Executive Order prohibiting cell phone use by students during the school day in Oregon’s K-12 public schools.

Kotek said, “Oregon’s schools should be a place where students find belonging, support and the joy of learning something new”. Kotek said, “The research is clear: cell phone use can create a trifecta of consequences for our young people – mental health issues, safety in school, and distraction from learning. I signed this order to stand up for the promise of every student in every corner of the state”.

A release said EO 25-09 addresses two of the Governor’s fundamental goals: delivering a high-quality public education and protecting Oregon’s young learners’ safety, health, and wellbeing. Districts will be required to adopt a policy prohibiting cell phone use by students by October 31st of this year. Those policies must be in full effect no later than January 1st, 2026.

The order calls for certain allowances for individual students to keep their cell phones during the day, including if they are needed for medical reasons or to support students with disabilities who have an individualized education plan.

The full text of the order is at: https://drive.google.com/file/d/1R5kfyMYsA6cg3VQKutUxLTIGVpIV2kgB/view