As the 2024-2025 academic year gets underway, school leaders across the country find themselves wondering if enough is enough when it comes to student electronic devices, namely smartphones. Prompted in part by books such as Jonathan Haidt’s The Anxious Generation, which warns of the dangers of the 24/7 nature of smartphone usage by teens, many schools have made the decision to keep phones out of the classroom.
In an SAIS Connect listserv post this summer, the question was raised: How are schools handling this sometimes controversial topic? Here, SAIS-member schools graciously share their insight, demonstrating that it is indeed possible to implement policies and procedures to ban or curb student smartphone use on campus. Their aim is to turn the focus away from the phone and back to the classroom.
Implementing a Schoolwide Policy
For High Meadows School, located in Roswell, GA, there’s been a long-standing policy regarding cell phones and electronic devices. For this IB World School serving children ages three through grade 8, the policy is not in response to any current trends. Lisa Baker, head of school and camp, recognizes their school demographics may play a role in student adherence to the policy: “As a PK-8 school, it’s a little easier [to enforce] than if we had upper school students.”
Students are discouraged from bringing cell phones or other electronic devices (such as smart watches, iPads, PlayStation, etc.), to campus or school activities. There are telephones throughout campus, and a staff member will see that students have access to a telephone to make necessary and/or emergency calls. To the extent that students bring any electronic devices to school or to school activities, students do so at their own risk. The School will not be responsible for the theft, damage, or loss of such devices. Students who choose to bring such devices to School or School activities must comply with all relevant rules and regulations.
Included in the High Meadows Emergency Action Plan is a statement that no one will be allowed to communicate off campus in times of crisis. All communication is to be initiated and coordinated from the office of the Head of School. The prohibition of student cell phones on campus helps enforce controlled communication from the campus as recommended by Georgia Emergency Management Agency (G.E.M.A.)
If a student brings a cell phone, smart watch, or other electronic device on campus, the phone must be turned off and should be kept in their locker or book bag when on campus. The student may not use a cell phone or smart watch unless the student has the specific permission of a teacher. If the teacher gives permission, cell phone use must be supervised. Electronic devices are not permitted on field trips, including overnight trips. If a student uses the cell phone during school hours without permission, the phone will be confiscated.
Technology Responsible Use
For Trinity Episcopal School in Charlotte, NC, cell phones have always been off-limits on campus. Chris Miller, marketing and communications director, shares, “Having a cell phone nearby can naturally lead to distraction and communication being misused and creates an opportunity for disengaged learning.”
Head of Middle School Tracy Onze shares that in her 22 years with the school, administration has never received pushback from parents about the cell phone ban, due in large part to their strong community support around the policy.
Of course, middle school students desire to have phones with them, but phones are banned from the classroom, as well as during after school activities, such as sports and theater. All coaches and facilitators have cell phones and allow students to make calls for rides if needed. In rare instances when a phone may be needed after school, such as when students carpool home with someone other than their parent, phones are allowed at school but must be held by an advisor or other adult throughout the day.
Trinity, which serves students in grades K-8, adheres to a brief one-page Responsible Use Policy around technology that all families and students read and sign at the beginning of each school year.
I will respect the purpose of school technology.
Putting Student Smartphones in Lockdown
Since 2019, St. Vincent’s Academy in Savannah, GA, has required their 300 students to place their cell phones in lockers each day. As a Catholic secondary school for girls in grades 9-12, Principal Dawn Odom says purchasing cell phone lockers has been the “best money we’ve ever spent.” Ms. Odom details the school’s process for daily locker use, highlighting the importance of their physical location: the phone lockers are situated in a central room all students pass through twice daily.
One of the benefits of this process? “We get to see the girls every morning and every afternoon,” says Ms. Odom. “It’s a great opportunity to tell if a girl is having a bad day. We have eyes on them, and it’s a touch point for every student.”
Before implementing any new policy, schools should be sure to conduct their own due diligence, speak with school attorneys, and ensure that there is buy-in from the board and administration. Notably, ensure faculty understand the reasoning behind a smartphone ban, as they are responsible for enforcing the school’s policies.
Choosing to implement a smartphone ban in the classroom can be a challenge, especially if the school has previously allowed cell phones. Yet, for many schools, the decision to remove phones is beneficial, both for removing distractions and for helping students maintain a healthy classroom atmosphere.
Want to learn more about this topic? Join us for an upcoming webinar, Navigating the Digital Landscape: Cell Phone Policies & the Anxious Generation, on September 17, 12:00-1:00 PM ET.
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