08/21/2026
A letter came home this week.
If you're in Texas, California or Illinois, your district has new phone rules — phones away bell to bell, lunch and hallways included.
Most of the parent groups are asking one thing: will it actually help my child focus?
Worth saying out loud: the letter only covers the school day. It ends at 3pm.
The hour after is still yours. Ours is the one where the hand goes up — live classes, four students at a time, in academic acceleration and public speaking.
What do your after-school hours look like? Tell us below.
Sources: Texas Education Agency (HB 1481) · EdSource · Office of the Governor of Illinois