One of the biggest changes this school year is the new cell phone policy passed by state lawmakers.

It limits, or in some cases, bans students from using their phones at school. The rules vary from school to school.

Rio Grande City Grulla Independent School District is implementing what they call their Eyes Up campaign.

The Texas Legislature passed house bill 1481 earlier this year. The law gives districts the power to decide how students can and can't use their devices during the school day.

The bill also requires school districts to develop policies that enforce the ban.

RGCGISD now requires students to have their phones, smartwatches, tablets and other electronic devices powered off and kept inside their backpacks.

There are exceptions to the rules, which allow students to use their devices for medical reasons or if it's a district-issued device, like a tablet, for education purposes. 

"The best way to learn is to be focused on the lesson and not looking down on your phones, so once again, they will be able to have their phones with them as long as it's stored and turned off," Director of Public Relations Adrian Ozuna said. "Just as long as they respect the rules, and they'll be able to be more engaged, and that's where education really happens."

The district says teachers at every school have access to a landline inside their class in case of an emergency.

School districts had the options of completely banning cell phones on campus or having students turning off their electronic devices and storing them in their backpack or out of sight of school staff.

Watch the video above for the full story.