Lawton Public Schools is asking students to Disconnect to Reconnect when school resumes in August.
The Lawton Board of Education approved a policy June 9 prohibiting students from using cellphones or personal electronic devices during the school day. The policy is in response to Senate Bill 139, which the Legislature passed and Gov. Kevin Stitt signed into law in May.
The state law makes the restriction mandatory for the 2025-26 school year.
The state law prohibits students from using personal electronic devices from “bell to bell,” meaning from the beginning of the instructional day to the end of the instructional day. The bill includes cellphones, smart watches, smart headphones, laptops, tablets and smart glasses. School-issued devices, such as laptops and Ipads which are used for instruction, are exempt.
Students will be required to put their personal electronic devices into Faraday Yondr bags, which block Wi-Fi signals, between the first bell and the last bell. Devices must be powered off while they are within the bag and kept in students’ backpacks, lockers or other designated areas.
The policy affects students in grades six through 12. Students in grades pre-K through fifth grade will not be affected by the bag policy at this time, but students will still fall under the policy governing personal electronic devices.
State law does provide for some exceptions:
Students may use cellphones or other personal electronic devices during the school day in cases of emergencies where immediate communication is needed for safety or urgent personal matters. These include medical emergencies — calling 911 or a parent if a student or someone nearby is having a severe health crisis; or natural disasters or lockdowns such as tornadoes or fires where students need to communicate with law enforcement or family.
Students who use personal electronic devices to monitor health issues, such as glucose monitoring.
Students with special needs if their IEP, Medical Plan or 504 Plan requires it as assistive technology for medically or educationally necessary instructional purposes. To qualify for this exception, the use must be listed as documented accommodation necessary for instruction or communication within the student’s IEP, Medical Plan or 504 Plan.
The school district will purchase the bags for secondary students, and families may buy them from the district for $35, after the $25 device insurance is paid, for a total of $60. Families may begin making payments on the insurance and bag starting in July through InTouch. Bags may be picked up in August during student check-in. Families will keep the bags, but they will not be allowed to provide their own personal bags.
Students who violate the policy will be subject to disciplinary action. Disciplinary actions will be listed in the Student Code of Conduct book.
For more information, or to read about the Disconnect to Reconnect policy, visit the LPS website at https://bit.ly/4lDRdkv