Hamilton Southeastern’s two high schools have each logged roughly 50 violations of the district’s new HSE cell phone policy since classes began Aug. 5, with about 20 of those coming on the very first day, according to district spokesperson Emily Abbotts.
“In discussions with both high schools, each reported approximately 50 infractions since the start of the school year, including 20 occurring on the first day as students adjusted to the new expectations,” Abbotts said.
She added that early reviews from staff have been favorable: “Feedback has been generally positive from teachers and administrators.”
Spread across two schools that each enroll more than 3,000 students, and across roughly a dozen school days, the numbers suggest the district’s most significant classroom rule change in years has landed with relatively little friction — and that the sharp drop-off after day one is the more telling figure.
What changed
The policy grew out of Senate Enrolled Act 78, which took effect July 1 and requires every Indiana school district to bar student use of personal wireless devices for the entire school day — “bell to bell,” in the language lawmakers used repeatedly during the session. The prohibition covers not just cell phones but smartwatches, personal laptops and handheld gaming devices.
The law replaces a narrower 2024 statute that banned phone use only during instructional time. Educators told legislators that version was difficult to enforce, since it left hallways, lunch periods and passing time as gray areas that students learned to work. Gov. Mike Braun, in signing the expanded ban, called it “one of the most significant statements of any state legislature on this particular issue” and said it would mean “teachers can teach, and classrooms can function as they should.”
Indiana is now among more than two dozen states that have adopted full-day school phone restrictions, according to reporting by the Indiana Capital Chronicle.
The statute carves out exceptions for emergencies, documented medical needs, students whose individualized education programs or 504 plans call for device access, and instructional use directed by a teacher. HSE students continue to use district-issued iPads for classwork.
How HSE is doing it
The HSE school board approved revisions to its wireless device policy unanimously on June 10, on second reading, aligning district rules with the new state requirements.
Implementation varies by grade level. Students in grades 5 through 8 store phones in their lockers for the school day. High school students must power devices down and keep them in backpacks, with many classrooms designating storage areas along the wall, away from student desks.
A device that is visible, powered on or in use counts as an infraction. Consequences begin at the first violation with confiscation and detention, and escalate through progressive discipline with parent involvement; confiscated devices must be picked up by a parent or guardian during office hours.
What to watch
The first-day spike Abbotts described — 20 infractions at each high school, then roughly 30 more over the following weeks — tracks with what administrators around the state predicted: an adjustment period measured in days rather than months, particularly for students who spent their entire academic careers with a phone within reach.
The open questions now are whether the infraction rate keeps falling as the semester goes on, how the district handles repeat offenders once progressive discipline reaches its later steps, and how parents adapt to reaching their students through the front office rather than by text.