California will likely soon become the fifth state in the nation to ban students from using smartphones in schools, though the full ban likely would not go into effect until the 2026-27 school year.

Back in 2019, San Mateo High School became the largest school in the country to ban students from using smartphones during the school day. The idea has caught on, as the states of Florida, Indiana, Louisiana, and South Carolina have since enacted similar bans statewide. And now California is poised to join them, as KGO reports Assemblymember Josh Hoover’s Phone-Free Schools Act passed both houses of the California legislature as of this week.  

The bill would still need Governor Gavin Newsom’s signature to become law. But Newsom has already called for smartphone bans in classrooms, so it is widely expected he will sign the bill.

The ban does not go into effect right away. The proposed law gives school districts until July 2026 to come up with their own individual policies to ban or limit phone use by students during class hours. So, once signed by Newsom, the ban would presumably go into effect for the 2026-27 school year, but districts can implement the ban earlier if they choose.

Students’ phones could be kept in a locker, or in some sort of specialized restrictive pouch, and this is up to individual districts to decide. And there are exceptions in the law for medical situations or emergencies.

Yet here in San Francisco, there are already similar rules in place. SFUSD spokesperson Laura Dudnick told the Examiner this month that “Per our current policy, mobile communication devices must be turned off and put away during class time and passing periods, except in certain circumstances such as health and safety reasons or if the device is being used as part of an instructional activity.”

Related: San Mateo High Forces Students To Lock Up Phones [SFist]

Image: Ordinary kids sitting with mobile devices in street (Getty Images)

An officer-involved shooting at St. Paul's Elementary School in San Francisco's Noe Valley neighborhood resulted in a temporary lockdown. A cell phone robbery, it seems, started the entire mess.

It all started after two men allegedly stole a woman's cellphone by gunpoint. According to KRON 4 Morning News,t he cell phone was later traced by police near the elementary school. As the suspects climbed a fence to evade cops, one of the suspects reached into their pockets, which then prompted an officer to pull out and shoot their gun in defense. Said officer didn't hit the victim.

At least four people were arrests were made. Police believe this to be part of a cellphone-theft ring. The school is no longer on lockdown

Pete Cat snapped this shot of a gate in Berkeley used to crucify old mobile communication devices. Gruesome stuff.

After news leaked this week about California First Lady Maria Shriver amounting to nothing more than a hoodlum -- that is to say, she doesn't use a hands-free device on her cell when she drives -- she apologized for her reckless cellphone usage today. According to CBS, "Shriver says she will donate her favorite old cell phone to a program that helps domestic violence shelters." She went on to add, "That's my version of swift action with a higher purpose."

Like a tightly-scrunched walnut, the fine folks at TMZ have cracked the case of California First Lady Maria Shriver's wanton disregard for public safety and that of her own. It seems Shriver was caught in the act of talking on her cellphone while driving, sans "hands-free" device. As most of you know, the hands-free law went into effect last year.

For shame, Maria. For shame.

Taking a break from creating fruit art, the Governor sent a Twitter message to TMZ's Harvey Levin, saying, "'Thanks for bringing her violations to my attention. There's going to be swift action.'"

Update: She did it again!

KTVU has some choice footage of last Saturday's Muni crash over on King Street near AT&T Park. Since major news networks inexplicably don't believe in the religion of Embedded Code, we are forced to link to it here. (Oh, and then you have to click on "RAW VIDEO: Watch Muni Surveillance Footage Shot On Trains Involved In Collision.") If some kind soul wants to upload or find us the same footage, YouTube- or Flickr Video-style, we'd be most appreciative. Forget KTVU and their pre-commercialed footage. Here it is uninterrupted!

Anyway, what the Muni camera captures is pretty jarring. Literally. The train must have been traveling abnormally fast to throw passengers around like that. Ouch, indeed.

A thousand thanks foes out to the formidable Kevin Lewis for doing this for us. We owe you one!

Last Saturday's T-Third meets N-Judah collision might be, according to to investigators, might have been the result of a speeding Muni driver and/or someone chatting on their cell phone. KCBS reports:

Investigators say one of the MUNI rail cars involved in a crash Saturday afternoon was speeding and the driver may have been talking on his cell phone. (...) MUNI says drivers are not allowed to talk on the phone while operating a vehicle. Investigators are trying to obtain the operator's cell phone records.

What? Muni drivers are ALWAYS on their mobile communication devices. And they're not supposed to be? We are stunned. Anyway, the car was allegedly "going 17 miles per hour in a 3 mph zone" right before the crash. Jesus.

If you recall, last week's harrowing Muni train crash over on King Street near AT&T landed 12 people in the hospital, all of them with non-life threatening injuries. The drivers of the trains have been relieved of their driving duties as the investigation continues.

If you already have a photo of drivers with phones: great! And if you don't: could you keep your eyes peeled, and your own cameraphones poised? Tip us off by leaving a comment below, or send the photo to . Then we'll put our friend in touch with you to explain exactly what the project is.

Thanks everyone! We'll keep you posted on how this nifty project is going whenever there are updates.