When Newport Harbor High and Corona del Mar High students return to campus Monday, August 17, they'll be barred from using smartphones during class under California's Phone-Free School Act.
Newport-Mesa Unified School District's policy allows high schoolers to check their phones at lunch, breaks, and before or after school. But during instructional time, devices must be put away. Middle schoolers face a stricter rule: phones sealed in Yondr magnetic locking pouches for the entire school day.
NMUSD piloted the Yondr system across all its middle schools during the 2025-26 school year, according to the district's website and a Voice of OC report published July 27. The pouches are magnetized pockets that lock around a student's phone using a special device; at day's end, students tap the pouch on a magnetic unlocking station to retrieve it.
How it started
The policy stems from Assembly Bill 3216, signed by Gov. Gavin Newsom on Monday, September 23, 2024. The law required every California school district to adopt a phone-limitation policy by Wednesday, July 1, 2026. NMUSD already had a mobile communication devices policy on the books, so the district aligned its existing rules with the state mandate rather than building one from scratch.
AB 3216 does not require any specific technology. Local school boards decide whether to use magnetic pouches, wall-mounted holders, or simply direct students to stow phones in backpacks. The district has not announced whether Newport Harbor High or Corona del Mar High will adopt Yondr pouches or rely on a different enforcement method for the coming year.
Emergency access and exceptions
Parents worried about reaching their children in a crisis still have options. The law requires exceptions for emergencies, documented medical needs, and students with Individualized Education Programs or other disability accommodations. During emergencies, students can access their phones, though the district encourages families to call the school's main office rather than contacting a student directly.
Assemblymember Josh Lowenthal, who co-authored AB 3216, said the law "gives school districts flexibility to develop policies that meet the needs of their local communities" and acknowledged that different schools will have different capabilities in enforcement.
What's next
Across Orange County, most unified districts adopted similar policies based on a California School Boards Association template. At an April 21 Irvine Unified public meeting, board member Katie McEwen captured the reasoning shared by districts regionwide: instructional minutes, she said, are "gold."
The first day of the 2026-27 school year at NMUSD is Monday, August 17. Families with questions about the phone policy or back-to-school registration can check their school's website or contact the front office directly.
