Hide your phone: Back-to-school is here for American Canyon

American Canyon High School. Xavey Bzdek photo

This coming Wednesday, Aug. 13, is the start of another school year in American Canyon. This guide includes a brief overview of the county’s new cell phone policy and includes links for more information about class schedules, bus routes, and other school programs for the coming year.

Cell Phone Policy

The Napa Valley Unified School District (NVUSD) has established the following rules regarding phones in the classroom as of July 31, 2025.

For elementary and middle schoolers, cell phones, smartphones, earbuds and other mobile devices must be turned off and stored in the student’s backpack all day while on campus or during field trips. Smartwatches may be worn, but their wireless/cellular features (e.g., calls, texts) must be turned off (airplane mode) during the school day.

These restrictions are in line with the district’s “cell phone” campaign, which aims to educate parents and students about the potential negative effects of cell phone usage in early learning.

For highschoolers however, the rules are more stringent.

According to the new policy, smartphones, and other mobile devices will be collected at the beginning of every class period and stored in a common phone caddy at the front of the classroom. Students won’t have access to their devices until they are returned at the end of each class period, and students won’t be allowed to wear any sort of headphone or earbuds during class as well. Students can use phones and earbuds during lunch and passing times, but there is a strict exception against using phones in all locker rooms and bathrooms.

There are a few exceptions to these rules, which include emergencies and teacher permissions. For complete details, the district website has outlined everything to do with this policy here.

In addition to the cell phone policy, below is a list of useful links to check out ahead of NVUSD back-to-school coming next week.