Changes coming to South Vermillion School Corporation's cell phone policy

Monday, April 20, 2026 at 9:10 AM

By Paul Gable

Times are a changing for students in the South Vermillion Community School Corporation when it comes to cell phone usage.

Beginning this fall, students will no longer be able to be on their cell phones after the Indiana General Assembly approved Indiana Senate Enrolled Act 78, which allows school districts to ban cell phones from being on campus or force students to keep them in their locker all day.

South Vermillion students will be allowed to bring their phones, but will have to keep them in their lockers. In addition, district officials have said high school students will no longer be allowed to use their phone at lunch.

The new piece of legislation prohibits the use of cell phones during instructional time and during the school day and allows only the use of school supplied or school sanctioned devices. It also states devices must be powered off , stored and inaccessible to students during the day.

There are exceptions to the law, however.

The policy may not prohibit a student from using a cell phone if it is part of the student's Section 504 Plan or Individualized Education Plan, necessary to manage a documented medical condition, authorized by a superintendent during an emergency, needed for language translation and used as an audio recording device by a student but will not record video or photos and can be inspected by school staff.