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Antioch Unified to implement California law limiting student cell phone use in 2026–27
Summary
Antioch Unified announced it will implement California Assembly Bill 3216 in the 2026–2027 school year; families were told to contact school offices to reach students during the day, and offices can relay messages or patch callers through to classrooms.
Antioch Unified will implement California Assembly Bill 3216 on student cell phone use in the 2026–2027 school year, an agency official for Antioch Unified said in a recorded announcement. The official said the district is adopting the law's requirements for use of phones on campus.
The official told families that if they need to reach a student during the school day they should "call the school's office, who can then relay a message to the student's classroom within minutes of the parent phone call," and added that the district can also "patch parents through to student classrooms." The message said schools are "ready and equipped" to use that contact system and that it has been the standard for years.
The announcement framed the policy as education-focused, saying, "because when cell phones are turned off, brains turn on." No vote or board action was recorded in the message; the recording presented the implementation and contact procedures as the district's plan for the 2026–2027 school year. The transcript did not provide additional operational details such as exceptions, the full text of the district policy implementing AB 3216, or contact-hours specifics.
Next steps: the district stated the policy will take effect in the 2026–2027 school year and that families should use school offices to relay urgent messages. Further details, including any written district rules or timelines for enforcement, were not specified in the recorded message.
