Minneapolis – Cell phone use in schools has sparked considerable debate among educators and policymakers across the country.
Florida and Indiana have passed laws requiring public schools to ban cell phone use during class. OklahomaLawmakers in Washington, D.C., Kansas, Vermont, Connecticut, Virginia and South Carolina have introduced bills this year to restrict cellphone use in schools. Georgia lawmakers have The bill was submitted A bill was passed to limit students’ social media use while in school. In January, Utah’s Republican governor, Spencer Cox, said: I sent a letter He urged school leaders across the state to ban cellphone use during class.
In Minnesota, lawmakers Education Bill This includes requiring school districts to develop policies regarding cell phones. The Minnesota Association of Elementary School Principals and the Minnesota Association of Secondary School Principals “should work together to provide schools with best practices on a range of strategies to minimize the impact of cell phones on student behavior, mental health and academic achievement.” The guidance is part of the education policy bill.
Two Rivers High School in Mendota Heights, Minnesota, is ahead of the curve. The school began working with the nonprofit organization LiveMore ScreenLess in 2022. They held focus groups with students and teachers and engaged with parents and school leaders. After these conversations, the school implemented a new cell phone policy: Students can use their phones during lunch, but they must turn them off during class or their phones will be confiscated.
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“If we are caught with our phones out, we are called into the office and our phones are confiscated for the day,” said Evangeline Fuentes, a high school senior. “If we keep our phones out for long enough, they end up confiscating them for the rest of the school year and banning them from school or putting them in a little jail cell in front of the office.” (Fox News/Mills Hayes)
Some Two Rivers High School teachers say it has been a success since it was implemented in 2023. “We have definitely seen a difference in our students this year. It’s much more enjoyable for them to have class without the distractions of cell phones,” one teacher said.
Katherine Myers is executive director of LiveMore ScreenLess, a former teacher who noticed that cell phones were becoming a “lawless zone” in schools. The nonprofit trains teachers and school staff in digital wellbeing.
“Adults are quick to tell students how bad their devices are, and while that’s true, we forget all about the benefits they have,” Myers said. “As a community, we’re all trying to support the larger goal of balanced and intentional use of technology.”
LiveMore ScreenLess is Digital Wellbeing Club They are being held in schools across Minneapolis. Evangeline Fuentes, a senior at Two Rivers High School, joined the club at her school, which meets monthly to discuss topics that promote healthy relationships with technology and digital devices.
“Your phone isn’t all bad, but you can go on Instagram and scroll through Reels and find something that makes you laugh, or that inspires you, or find something you want to buy or bake,” Fuentes said.
Fuentes knows he doesn’t have much self-control when it comes to his cell phone.
“I have Snapchat and Instagram. I delete them regularly. I think girls and boys find it hard to compare and see the constant stream of feeds and tell, oh, someone’s on vacation, someone’s not,” Fuentes said.
When her high school implemented a new cell phone policy, she noticed a decrease in screen time.
“On the first day of school, we were told the new rules regarding cell phones: no cell phones allowed between the bell and the bell,” Fuentes said. “I was focused. I didn’t touch my phone.”
The nonprofit organization LiveMore ScreenLess awarded Two Rivers High School its Excellence in Digital Wellbeing Initiative Award. LiveMore ScreenLess Executive Director Katherine Myers said Principal Dr. Albert Johnson’s leadership was essential to the school’s effective implementation of the cell phone policy. Since revising the protocol, 90% of educators report an increase in student engagement. “There were questions, but no resistance. It was a great opportunity to connect with families,” Dr. Johnson said. (LiveMore ScreenLess/Katherine Myers)
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If you have a cell phone in your possession during class, you will be banned from using it.
“It’s nice to be able to talk to people without feeling the pressure of being on your phone,” Fuentes said of the new cellphone restrictions. “It makes for a more authentic connection.”
At Maple Grove Middle School, across the subway, the policies are much stricter: Principal Patrick Smith said that before the cellphone ban was put in place, students would sneak out of class to make TikToks, send text messages and start fights in the hallways.
“When we see a phone, we pick it up,” Smith said. “When we first started this, we said leave your phone at home.”
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But Smith faced backlash from his parents.
“Their biggest concern is that we’re living in very different times right now,” Smith said. “As a parent, I have two teenagers myself, you want to know that they’re safe at all times. And if there’s a major emergency, you want to be able to reach your kids and know that they’re safe.”
Smith said there was an immediate change in the overall happiness of students and staff: Teachers no longer had to argue with students to put their phones away.
“The failure rate has dropped significantly,” Smith said.
“When I was a teacher, I got a little frustrated with students’ cell phone use in school,” said Coulier Pringle of the National Parent Coalition, who said districts should talk to students when crafting cell phone policies. (Fox News/Mills Hayes)
Some schools across the country require students to keep their cell phones in pouches, but Coulia Pringle, Minnesota president of the National Parents Union, doesn’t think that’s the answer.
“I’m going to organize myself and make sure that doesn’t happen,” Pringle said.
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Pringle represents thousands of Minnesota parents who he says are more concerned about their kids using their phones for social media and recording fights. They want schools to limit cell phone use but don’t want to ban it outright for safety reasons.
“May the souls of those involved in this shooting rest in peace. But a lot of the kids were able to call them and let them know they were OK or they weren’t OK,” Pringle said.
She said that while cell phone policies are important, she is more concerned about student literacy, discipline issues and procedures for dealing with racist incidents.
In Minnesota, school districts have until March 2025 to develop cell phone policies.
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“Leaders really want to know who’s doing what,” said Myers of LiveMore ScreenLess.
The National Education Association recently conducted a mobile phone and social media survey of all its members and plans to release recommendations for schools in July.
