New Mexico awards $385,785 for school device policies
New Mexico’s Office of Broadband Access and Expansion announced $385,785 in grants for 33 schools and districts to help carry out existing student wireless-device policies on Oct. 8.
Grant funds may support lockable phone pouches, device lockers, and network hardware or software controls. OBAE said it received 39 applications requesting $542,000. The grants support policies recipients had already created; they do not establish that the policies improve academic outcomes.
State law already requires school districts and charter schools to adopt and implement wireless-device policies. A 2025 law, SB 11, enacted as Chapter 155, set Aug. 1, 2025, as the deadline. The Public Education Department will oversee and manage the implemented school policies.
OBAE’s awards archive lists 33 individual notices dated Oct. 2, six days before the announcement. The awards are for selected recipients, not every New Mexico school. OBAE says another funding round is planned but has not announced a date.
Sources
- State awards grants to 33 schools and districts to promote safe and appropriate connectivity, New Mexico Office of Broadband Access and Expansion
- Awards Library, New Mexico Office of Broadband Access and Expansion
- 2025 Regular Session — SB 11, Anti-Distraction Policy in Schools, New Mexico Legislature
- 2025 Regular Session — Effective Dates by Chapter, New Mexico Legislature
- connect.nm.gov
- www.nmlegis.gov
- connect.nm.gov
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