{"id":9965,"date":"2026-01-16T17:20:23","date_gmt":"2026-01-16T22:20:23","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/localtalkweekly.com\/?p=9965"},"modified":"2026-01-16T17:20:26","modified_gmt":"2026-01-16T22:20:26","slug":"governor-murphy-signs-legislation-establishing-phone-free-schools-in-new-jersey","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/localtalkweekly.com\/index.php\/2026\/01\/16\/governor-murphy-signs-legislation-establishing-phone-free-schools-in-new-jersey\/","title":{"rendered":"Governor Murphy Signs Legislation Establishing Phone-Free Schools in New Jersey"},"content":{"rendered":"\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\"><strong>RAMSEY<\/strong> &#8211; Governor Phil Murphy visited Ramsey High School in Bergen County Jan. 8 to sign bipartisan legislation requiring all school districts in New Jersey to adopt policies restricting the use of cell phones and other internet-enabled devices in K-12 schools.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">Governor Murphy first announced his intention to pursue phone-free schools in New Jersey during his 2025 State of the State address and highlighted the policy proposal during a visit to Woodbury Junior-Senior High School in Gloucester County last February.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">\u201cWith today\u2019s bill signing, we are ensuring New Jersey schools are a place for learning and engagement, not distracting screens that detract from academic performance. In schools across our state, from Ramsey to Woodbury, we have seen the positive impact of phone-free policies,\u201d said Governor Murphy.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">\u201cTeachers report that students are more focused, less anxious, and they are socializing and laughing with each other &#8211; not through a screen &#8211; but in hallways and classrooms. By getting rid of needless distractions, we are fundamentally changing our schools\u2019 learning environments and encouraging our children to be more attentive and engaged during the school day. This is a sensible policy that will make a world of difference for our children.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">This bill requires the Commissioner of Education to publish guidelines on restricting students\u2019 use of cell phones and other internet-enabled devices during regular school hours, on a school bus, or during school-sanctioned events. Boards of education will be required to adopt policies that align with the statewide K\u201312 guidelines. Board policies must, among other provisions, prohibit the non-academic use of personal internet-enabled devices on school grounds during the school day, with limited exceptions.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">Pursuant to this legislation, the Department of Education (DOE) is reviewing its previously published Guidance for Schools on Student Use of Internet-Enabled Devices and anticipates publishing updated guidelines in mid-January in consultation with stakeholders. The DOE guidelines will serve as a roadmap for creating safer, more focused learning environments. They will outline best practices for secure storage, staff training, and equitable enforcement, ensuring that every student benefits from fewer distractions and better opportunities for engagement. District policies will become effective for the 2026\u20132027 school year.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">\u201cI applaud the Governor for taking a big step to protect our kids by making schools a safe, phone-free place to learn. Our young people are facing a mental health crisis \u2013 but, we all know that when children put the screens down, their mental health and academic results improve,\u201d said Governor-elect Mikie Sherrill. \u201cI look forward to implementing this important legislation and continuing to make progress on kids&#8217; online safety and holding Big Tech accountable for the content they push toward our kids.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">\u201cRecent research has made it clear that access to cell phones in schools impacts both student mental health and academic achievement,\u201d said Education Commissioner Kevin Dehmer. \u201cToday\u2019s legislation provides the framework to ensure every classroom is a place for learning and free of distractions. Our guidelines will be practical, developmentally appropriate, and equitable, helping districts create policies that protect student focus and well-being.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">\u201cI&#8217;m thrilled to see New Jersey join dozens of other states going phone-free bell to bell. Restoring childhood begins with restoring focus to classrooms and fun to hallways and lunchrooms,\u201d said Jonathan Haidt, Author, The Anxious Generation &amp; Professor, NYU-Stern. \u201cGovernor Murphy&#8217;s leadership is making that a reality for thousands of kids in the Garden State.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">\u201cThe signing of this pivotal bill into law is momentous for the well-being and productivity of students across New Jersey,\u201d said Senator Paul Moriarty, Senate prime sponsor of the legislation. \u201cBy developing a commonsense approach to help mitigate the hugely negative impacts of unrestricted cell phone and social media use in schools, educators will be well equipped to fight the crisis facing their students to guarantee a productive, distraction-free learning environment.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">\u201cThis bill will help ensure that students are fully engaged in learning while they are in the classroom,\u201d said Assemblywoman Rosy Bagolie, Assembly prime sponsor of the legislation. \u201cWhile internet-enabled devices such as smart phones and tablets can be useful tools, the rise of social media has unfortunately caused significant harm to our learning environments. Our legislation is a response to what parents, teachers, and principals have consistently told us\u2014they need our support. A4882 will ensure that we are doing our part to help educators and our students succeed.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">This bill signing further demonstrates the Murphy Administration\u2019s ongoing commitment to student mental health and well-being. In December 2025, the DOE took steps to lay the groundwork for districts to adopt bell-to-bell policies, announcing that 86 school districts were awarded grants under the Phone-Free Schools Grant Program. This program, funded with a $3 million appropriation in the Fiscal Year 2026 Budget, supports schools committed to implementing bell-to-bell cell phone bans in purchasing equipment like pouches or funding training or engagement sessions.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">Research indicates that limiting phone use improves test scores, especially for struggling students, and reduces mental health risks related to excessive social media use. By reducing digital distractions and fostering healthier school climates, New Jersey is taking steps to ensure that every classroom is a place for learning, connection, and growth.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">Sponsors of the legislation (S3695\/A4882) include Senators Paul Moriarty and Kristin Corrado, along with Assembly Members Rosy Bagolie, Cody Miller, and Carmen Theresa Morales.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">\u201cCell phones are a big part of today\u2019s society, but excessive use can have negative effects on the academic performance and mental health of school-aged children,\u201d said Senate President Nick Scutari. \u201cThis law will give school districts the ability to adopt policies for the best use of cell phones and social media so that students aren\u2019t distracted and their educational experience isn\u2019t disrupted. It will help ensure that school classrooms are focused on learning.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">\u201cNew Jersey is blessed to have a public school system that consistently ranks among the best in the nation. When parents and teachers are telling us that cell phones are becoming a daily distraction in the classroom and beyond, it became incumbent upon us to listen and respond,\u201d said Assembly Speaker Craig J. Coughlin. \u201cOur students deserve the best possible chance at success, and by giving school districts the guidance and tools they need to help students stay focused, we are creating learning environments that will keep young minds fully present in the classroom.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">\u201cDistractions are abundant in our digital age, making it difficult for students to disconnect from social media, gaming, and other online activities to focus on learning,\u201d said Senate Majority Leader M. Teresa Ruiz. \u201cOur schools must be incubators for academic growth first and foremost. By requiring districts to develop policies limiting cell phone access in the classroom, we can create more productive learning environments, improve student outcomes, and give power back to teachers and school leaders.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">\u201cThe signing of the Distraction Free Schools Bill is a significant step forward for New Jersey students. As members of the Commission on the Effects of Social Media, we recommended bell-to-bell cell phone bans because the evidence was clear: constant device access interferes with learning and contributes to youth mental health struggles,\u201d said Chanta Jackson, member of the New Jersey Commission on the Effects of Social Media Usage on Adolescents.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"<p>RAMSEY &#8211; Governor Phil Murphy visited Ramsey High School in Bergen County Jan. 8 to sign bipartisan legislation requiring all school districts in New Jersey to adopt policies restricting the use of cell phones and other internet-enabled devices in K-12 schools. Governor Murphy first announced his intention to pursue phone-free schools in New Jersey during [&hellip;]<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":4,"featured_media":9956,"comment_status":"closed","ping_status":"closed","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"om_disable_all_campaigns":false,"_monsterinsights_skip_tracking":false,"_monsterinsights_sitenote_active":false,"_monsterinsights_sitenote_note":"","_monsterinsights_sitenote_category":0,"_jetpack_memberships_contains_paid_content":false,"footnotes":""},"categories":[1],"tags":[],"class_list":["post-9965","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","hentry","category-topstories"],"yoast_head":"<!-- This site is optimized with the Yoast SEO plugin v27.2 - https:\/\/yoast.com\/product\/yoast-seo-wordpress\/ -->\n<title>Governor Murphy Signs Legislation Establishing Phone-Free Schools in New Jersey -<\/title>\n<meta name=\"robots\" content=\"index, follow, max-snippet:-1, max-image-preview:large, max-video-preview:-1\" \/>\n<link rel=\"canonical\" href=\"https:\/\/localtalkweekly.com\/index.php\/2026\/01\/16\/governor-murphy-signs-legislation-establishing-phone-free-schools-in-new-jersey\/\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:locale\" content=\"en_US\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:type\" content=\"article\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:title\" content=\"Governor Murphy Signs Legislation Establishing Phone-Free Schools in New Jersey -\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:description\" content=\"RAMSEY &#8211; Governor Phil Murphy visited Ramsey High School in Bergen County Jan. 8 to sign bipartisan legislation requiring all school districts in New Jersey to adopt policies restricting the use of cell phones and other internet-enabled devices in K-12 schools. Governor Murphy first announced his intention to pursue phone-free schools in New Jersey during [&hellip;]\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:url\" content=\"https:\/\/localtalkweekly.com\/index.php\/2026\/01\/16\/governor-murphy-signs-legislation-establishing-phone-free-schools-in-new-jersey\/\" \/>\n<meta property=\"article:published_time\" content=\"2026-01-16T22:20:23+00:00\" \/>\n<meta property=\"article:modified_time\" content=\"2026-01-16T22:20:26+00:00\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:image\" content=\"https:\/\/localtalkweekly.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/01\/Phone-Ban-Bill-Jake-Hirsch-Governors-Office.jpg\" \/>\n\t<meta property=\"og:image:width\" content=\"2048\" \/>\n\t<meta property=\"og:image:height\" content=\"1366\" \/>\n\t<meta property=\"og:image:type\" content=\"image\/jpeg\" \/>\n<meta name=\"author\" content=\"Admin\" \/>\n<meta name=\"twitter:card\" content=\"summary_large_image\" \/>\n<meta name=\"twitter:label1\" content=\"Written by\" \/>\n\t<meta name=\"twitter:data1\" content=\"Admin\" \/>\n\t<meta name=\"twitter:label2\" content=\"Est. reading time\" \/>\n\t<meta name=\"twitter:data2\" content=\"6 minutes\" \/>\n<script type=\"application\/ld+json\" class=\"yoast-schema-graph\">{\"@context\":\"https:\/\/schema.org\",\"@graph\":[{\"@type\":\"Article\",\"@id\":\"https:\/\/localtalkweekly.com\/index.php\/2026\/01\/16\/governor-murphy-signs-legislation-establishing-phone-free-schools-in-new-jersey\/#article\",\"isPartOf\":{\"@id\":\"https:\/\/localtalkweekly.com\/index.php\/2026\/01\/16\/governor-murphy-signs-legislation-establishing-phone-free-schools-in-new-jersey\/\"},\"author\":{\"name\":\"Admin\",\"@id\":\"https:\/\/localtalkweekly.com\/#\/schema\/person\/7e100b844f82f76718c8dfa5840bb1e5\"},\"headline\":\"Governor Murphy Signs Legislation Establishing Phone-Free Schools in New Jersey\",\"datePublished\":\"2026-01-16T22:20:23+00:00\",\"dateModified\":\"2026-01-16T22:20:26+00:00\",\"mainEntityOfPage\":{\"@id\":\"https:\/\/localtalkweekly.com\/index.php\/2026\/01\/16\/governor-murphy-signs-legislation-establishing-phone-free-schools-in-new-jersey\/\"},\"wordCount\":1199,\"image\":{\"@id\":\"https:\/\/localtalkweekly.com\/index.php\/2026\/01\/16\/governor-murphy-signs-legislation-establishing-phone-free-schools-in-new-jersey\/#primaryimage\"},\"thumbnailUrl\":\"https:\/\/localtalkweekly.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/01\/Phone-Ban-Bill-Jake-Hirsch-Governors-Office.jpg\",\"articleSection\":[\"Top Stories\"],\"inLanguage\":\"en-US\"},{\"@type\":\"WebPage\",\"@id\":\"https:\/\/localtalkweekly.com\/index.php\/2026\/01\/16\/governor-murphy-signs-legislation-establishing-phone-free-schools-in-new-jersey\/\",\"url\":\"https:\/\/localtalkweekly.com\/index.php\/2026\/01\/16\/governor-murphy-signs-legislation-establishing-phone-free-schools-in-new-jersey\/\",\"name\":\"Governor Murphy Signs Legislation Establishing Phone-Free Schools in New Jersey -\",\"isPartOf\":{\"@id\":\"https:\/\/localtalkweekly.com\/#website\"},\"primaryImageOfPage\":{\"@id\":\"https:\/\/localtalkweekly.com\/index.php\/2026\/01\/16\/governor-murphy-signs-legislation-establishing-phone-free-schools-in-new-jersey\/#primaryimage\"},\"image\":{\"@id\":\"https:\/\/localtalkweekly.com\/index.php\/2026\/01\/16\/governor-murphy-signs-legislation-establishing-phone-free-schools-in-new-jersey\/#primaryimage\"},\"thumbnailUrl\":\"https:\/\/localtalkweekly.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/01\/Phone-Ban-Bill-Jake-Hirsch-Governors-Office.jpg\",\"datePublished\":\"2026-01-16T22:20:23+00:00\",\"dateModified\":\"2026-01-16T22:20:26+00:00\",\"author\":{\"@id\":\"https:\/\/localtalkweekly.com\/#\/schema\/person\/7e100b844f82f76718c8dfa5840bb1e5\"},\"breadcrumb\":{\"@id\":\"https:\/\/localtalkweekly.com\/index.php\/2026\/01\/16\/governor-murphy-signs-legislation-establishing-phone-free-schools-in-new-jersey\/#breadcrumb\"},\"inLanguage\":\"en-US\",\"potentialAction\":[{\"@type\":\"ReadAction\",\"target\":[\"https:\/\/localtalkweekly.com\/index.php\/2026\/01\/16\/governor-murphy-signs-legislation-establishing-phone-free-schools-in-new-jersey\/\"]}]},{\"@type\":\"ImageObject\",\"inLanguage\":\"en-US\",\"@id\":\"https:\/\/localtalkweekly.com\/index.php\/2026\/01\/16\/governor-murphy-signs-legislation-establishing-phone-free-schools-in-new-jersey\/#primaryimage\",\"url\":\"https:\/\/localtalkweekly.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/01\/Phone-Ban-Bill-Jake-Hirsch-Governors-Office.jpg\",\"contentUrl\":\"https:\/\/localtalkweekly.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/01\/Phone-Ban-Bill-Jake-Hirsch-Governors-Office.jpg\",\"width\":2048,\"height\":1366},{\"@type\":\"BreadcrumbList\",\"@id\":\"https:\/\/localtalkweekly.com\/index.php\/2026\/01\/16\/governor-murphy-signs-legislation-establishing-phone-free-schools-in-new-jersey\/#breadcrumb\",\"itemListElement\":[{\"@type\":\"ListItem\",\"position\":1,\"name\":\"Home\",\"item\":\"https:\/\/localtalkweekly.com\/\"},{\"@type\":\"ListItem\",\"position\":2,\"name\":\"Governor Murphy Signs Legislation Establishing Phone-Free Schools in New Jersey\"}]},{\"@type\":\"WebSite\",\"@id\":\"https:\/\/localtalkweekly.com\/#website\",\"url\":\"https:\/\/localtalkweekly.com\/\",\"name\":\"\",\"description\":\"A Household Name Since 2000\",\"potentialAction\":[{\"@type\":\"SearchAction\",\"target\":{\"@type\":\"EntryPoint\",\"urlTemplate\":\"https:\/\/localtalkweekly.com\/?s={search_term_string}\"},\"query-input\":{\"@type\":\"PropertyValueSpecification\",\"valueRequired\":true,\"valueName\":\"search_term_string\"}}],\"inLanguage\":\"en-US\"},{\"@type\":\"Person\",\"@id\":\"https:\/\/localtalkweekly.com\/#\/schema\/person\/7e100b844f82f76718c8dfa5840bb1e5\",\"name\":\"Admin\",\"image\":{\"@type\":\"ImageObject\",\"inLanguage\":\"en-US\",\"@id\":\"https:\/\/secure.gravatar.com\/avatar\/57a51484ffde9c2692054b50de017c173a415ec2a24ca437ec9bd04c6309bd01?s=96&d=mm&r=g\",\"url\":\"https:\/\/secure.gravatar.com\/avatar\/57a51484ffde9c2692054b50de017c173a415ec2a24ca437ec9bd04c6309bd01?s=96&d=mm&r=g\",\"contentUrl\":\"https:\/\/secure.gravatar.com\/avatar\/57a51484ffde9c2692054b50de017c173a415ec2a24ca437ec9bd04c6309bd01?s=96&d=mm&r=g\",\"caption\":\"Admin\"},\"url\":\"https:\/\/localtalkweekly.com\/index.php\/author\/admin\/\"}]}<\/script>\n<!-- \/ Yoast SEO plugin. -->","yoast_head_json":{"title":"Governor Murphy Signs Legislation Establishing Phone-Free Schools in New Jersey -","robots":{"index":"index","follow":"follow","max-snippet":"max-snippet:-1","max-image-preview":"max-image-preview:large","max-video-preview":"max-video-preview:-1"},"canonical":"https:\/\/localtalkweekly.com\/index.php\/2026\/01\/16\/governor-murphy-signs-legislation-establishing-phone-free-schools-in-new-jersey\/","og_locale":"en_US","og_type":"article","og_title":"Governor Murphy Signs Legislation Establishing Phone-Free Schools in New Jersey -","og_description":"RAMSEY &#8211; Governor Phil Murphy visited Ramsey High School in Bergen County Jan. 8 to sign bipartisan legislation requiring all school districts in New Jersey to adopt policies restricting the use of cell phones and other internet-enabled devices in K-12 schools. Governor Murphy first announced his intention to pursue phone-free schools in New Jersey during [&hellip;]","og_url":"https:\/\/localtalkweekly.com\/index.php\/2026\/01\/16\/governor-murphy-signs-legislation-establishing-phone-free-schools-in-new-jersey\/","article_published_time":"2026-01-16T22:20:23+00:00","article_modified_time":"2026-01-16T22:20:26+00:00","og_image":[{"width":2048,"height":1366,"url":"https:\/\/localtalkweekly.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/01\/Phone-Ban-Bill-Jake-Hirsch-Governors-Office.jpg","type":"image\/jpeg"}],"author":"Admin","twitter_card":"summary_large_image","twitter_misc":{"Written by":"Admin","Est. reading time":"6 minutes"},"schema":{"@context":"https:\/\/schema.org","@graph":[{"@type":"Article","@id":"https:\/\/localtalkweekly.com\/index.php\/2026\/01\/16\/governor-murphy-signs-legislation-establishing-phone-free-schools-in-new-jersey\/#article","isPartOf":{"@id":"https:\/\/localtalkweekly.com\/index.php\/2026\/01\/16\/governor-murphy-signs-legislation-establishing-phone-free-schools-in-new-jersey\/"},"author":{"name":"Admin","@id":"https:\/\/localtalkweekly.com\/#\/schema\/person\/7e100b844f82f76718c8dfa5840bb1e5"},"headline":"Governor Murphy Signs Legislation Establishing Phone-Free Schools in New Jersey","datePublished":"2026-01-16T22:20:23+00:00","dateModified":"2026-01-16T22:20:26+00:00","mainEntityOfPage":{"@id":"https:\/\/localtalkweekly.com\/index.php\/2026\/01\/16\/governor-murphy-signs-legislation-establishing-phone-free-schools-in-new-jersey\/"},"wordCount":1199,"image":{"@id":"https:\/\/localtalkweekly.com\/index.php\/2026\/01\/16\/governor-murphy-signs-legislation-establishing-phone-free-schools-in-new-jersey\/#primaryimage"},"thumbnailUrl":"https:\/\/localtalkweekly.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/01\/Phone-Ban-Bill-Jake-Hirsch-Governors-Office.jpg","articleSection":["Top Stories"],"inLanguage":"en-US"},{"@type":"WebPage","@id":"https:\/\/localtalkweekly.com\/index.php\/2026\/01\/16\/governor-murphy-signs-legislation-establishing-phone-free-schools-in-new-jersey\/","url":"https:\/\/localtalkweekly.com\/index.php\/2026\/01\/16\/governor-murphy-signs-legislation-establishing-phone-free-schools-in-new-jersey\/","name":"Governor Murphy Signs Legislation Establishing Phone-Free Schools in New Jersey -","isPartOf":{"@id":"https:\/\/localtalkweekly.com\/#website"},"primaryImageOfPage":{"@id":"https:\/\/localtalkweekly.com\/index.php\/2026\/01\/16\/governor-murphy-signs-legislation-establishing-phone-free-schools-in-new-jersey\/#primaryimage"},"image":{"@id":"https:\/\/localtalkweekly.com\/index.php\/2026\/01\/16\/governor-murphy-signs-legislation-establishing-phone-free-schools-in-new-jersey\/#primaryimage"},"thumbnailUrl":"https:\/\/localtalkweekly.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/01\/Phone-Ban-Bill-Jake-Hirsch-Governors-Office.jpg","datePublished":"2026-01-16T22:20:23+00:00","dateModified":"2026-01-16T22:20:26+00:00","author":{"@id":"https:\/\/localtalkweekly.com\/#\/schema\/person\/7e100b844f82f76718c8dfa5840bb1e5"},"breadcrumb":{"@id":"https:\/\/localtalkweekly.com\/index.php\/2026\/01\/16\/governor-murphy-signs-legislation-establishing-phone-free-schools-in-new-jersey\/#breadcrumb"},"inLanguage":"en-US","potentialAction":[{"@type":"ReadAction","target":["https:\/\/localtalkweekly.com\/index.php\/2026\/01\/16\/governor-murphy-signs-legislation-establishing-phone-free-schools-in-new-jersey\/"]}]},{"@type":"ImageObject","inLanguage":"en-US","@id":"https:\/\/localtalkweekly.com\/index.php\/2026\/01\/16\/governor-murphy-signs-legislation-establishing-phone-free-schools-in-new-jersey\/#primaryimage","url":"https:\/\/localtalkweekly.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/01\/Phone-Ban-Bill-Jake-Hirsch-Governors-Office.jpg","contentUrl":"https:\/\/localtalkweekly.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/01\/Phone-Ban-Bill-Jake-Hirsch-Governors-Office.jpg","width":2048,"height":1366},{"@type":"BreadcrumbList","@id":"https:\/\/localtalkweekly.com\/index.php\/2026\/01\/16\/governor-murphy-signs-legislation-establishing-phone-free-schools-in-new-jersey\/#breadcrumb","itemListElement":[{"@type":"ListItem","position":1,"name":"Home","item":"https:\/\/localtalkweekly.com\/"},{"@type":"ListItem","position":2,"name":"Governor Murphy Signs Legislation Establishing Phone-Free Schools in New Jersey"}]},{"@type":"WebSite","@id":"https:\/\/localtalkweekly.com\/#website","url":"https:\/\/localtalkweekly.com\/","name":"","description":"A Household Name Since 2000","potentialAction":[{"@type":"SearchAction","target":{"@type":"EntryPoint","urlTemplate":"https:\/\/localtalkweekly.com\/?s={search_term_string}"},"query-input":{"@type":"PropertyValueSpecification","valueRequired":true,"valueName":"search_term_string"}}],"inLanguage":"en-US"},{"@type":"Person","@id":"https:\/\/localtalkweekly.com\/#\/schema\/person\/7e100b844f82f76718c8dfa5840bb1e5","name":"Admin","image":{"@type":"ImageObject","inLanguage":"en-US","@id":"https:\/\/secure.gravatar.com\/avatar\/57a51484ffde9c2692054b50de017c173a415ec2a24ca437ec9bd04c6309bd01?s=96&d=mm&r=g","url":"https:\/\/secure.gravatar.com\/avatar\/57a51484ffde9c2692054b50de017c173a415ec2a24ca437ec9bd04c6309bd01?s=96&d=mm&r=g","contentUrl":"https:\/\/secure.gravatar.com\/avatar\/57a51484ffde9c2692054b50de017c173a415ec2a24ca437ec9bd04c6309bd01?s=96&d=mm&r=g","caption":"Admin"},"url":"https:\/\/localtalkweekly.com\/index.php\/author\/admin\/"}]}},"jetpack_sharing_enabled":true,"jetpack_featured_media_url":"https:\/\/localtalkweekly.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/01\/Phone-Ban-Bill-Jake-Hirsch-Governors-Office.jpg","_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/localtalkweekly.com\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/9965","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/localtalkweekly.com\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/localtalkweekly.com\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/localtalkweekly.com\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/4"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/localtalkweekly.com\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=9965"}],"version-history":[{"count":1,"href":"https:\/\/localtalkweekly.com\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/9965\/revisions"}],"predecessor-version":[{"id":9966,"href":"https:\/\/localtalkweekly.com\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/9965\/revisions\/9966"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/localtalkweekly.com\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/9956"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/localtalkweekly.com\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=9965"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/localtalkweekly.com\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=9965"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/localtalkweekly.com\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=9965"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}