A Common Sense Media study from 2023 found 97% of 11- to 17-year-olds used their phones during the school day, with students spending a median time of 43 minutes on their phones. Six school and district administrators share in a K-12 Dive article what they’ve learned as their schools implement cell phone restrictions:
1) Ogden High School already had a no-phone policy during instructional hours for its 1,100 students before Utah’s statewide ban took effect July 1.
″The main challenge we’ve faced is that students are accustomed to having their phones, and it can be a difficult habit to break,” says Principal Shauna Haney. “We are committed to helping them adapt, and we believe the long-term benefits to their learning outweigh the initial hurdles.”
Phones must be stored away in backpacks during the school day. For first time violations, a teacher will ask the student to put the phone in a classroom locker. A school administrator picks up the phone from the classroom, has a conference with the student and contacts the parents. The student picks up the phone at the end of the school day.
The same approach is taken for the second offense, but a parent will need to pick up the phone at the end of the school day. The third offense follows the same steps and adds a parent conference and the creation of a plan to support the student’s compliance.
Getting feedback from parents, staff and administrators is “crucial” when developing a policy, Haney says.
“This helps ensure everyone is on the same page and understands the purpose of the policy,” Haney says. Teaching and reinforcing the expectations with students and consistent enforcement of the policy is also key, she says.
2) DeWitt Clinton High School in the New York City school system has refined its student cellphone policy to increase compliance and streamline procedures.
Students are now required at the start of the day to place their cellphones into a school-issued bubble wrap security pouch labeled with their last period class. Phones are collected, logged and stored in secure bins matched to each student’s schedule, and delivered to students during their last class. Students must attend all classes, especially their last period, to receive their phone back. If they don’t attend their last class, they don’t get their phones back.
Delivering phones to students during the last class eliminated the long lines of students retrieving their phones, increased last period attendance and restored instructional time, according to Principal Pierre Orbe.
The more comprehensive cellphone policy has led to fewer disciplinary actions and improved academic outcomes, Orbe says. The school used to log about 3 to 5 coordinated fights a day — often planned through cellphone communication — and now it goes weeks without a single incident, he says.
The graduation rate in 2015 was 46%. In 2024, it was 93%, surpassing New York’s average of 86%, according to state data.
“There will be resistance at first — students and even staff may push back — but if you’re consistent, transparent, and results-driven, the school culture will shift,” advises Orbe.
Align cellphone policies to academic goals, social-emotional learning and school safety, Orbe says. Students will “respect the structure if it’s part of a larger investment in their success.”
3) District of Columbia Public Schools in Washington, D.C. launched a new, citywide cellphone ban the first day of the school year. The policy prohibits students from using cellphones from the moment the first class bell rings in the morning until the dismissal bell in the afternoon.
There are about 50,000 pre-K-12 students in the district.
The new policy was crafted with input from focus groups the district held with students, parents, principals and teachers. DCPS Chancellor Lewis Ferebee says school administrators know their school communities best, so the policy is flexible. Each school decides whether students store their cellphones in their backpacks or lockers during the school day or have a central storage area for phones until the school day is over.
Exceptions are made for students who are parents and for students who may need their phones because they have a disability, medical need or language barrier. Classroom teachers may also allow cellphone use for academic purposes.
Age-appropriate lessons on digital citizenship and safe online behaviors for students in grades K-12 are required by the policy. Age-appropriate lessons on self-awareness and self-management of digital usage are “designed so students have a balanced relationship with technology,” Ferebee says.
4) McPherson Middle School in Kansas prohibits student use of all personal electronic devices, including cellphones, cameras, electronic games, wireless earbuds, smart watches or similar devices during the school day.
The device will be confiscated by a staff member and turned into the office if a student violates the policy during school hours. For a first offense, the device is taken away, the student receives a warning, and device is picked up after school. For a second offense, the parent must pick up the device from the office. Students receive detention for violating the policy a third time, and the parent must pick up the device from school.
The school pairs restrictions with instruction by teaching digital citizenship, safe online practices and responsible use of technology in class to help students use devices productively rather than constantly.
5) Knox County Schools in Tennessee prohibit the use of cellphones for the entire school day; exceptions include accommodations for students with disabilities and emergency situations.
The new policy stems from a Tennessee law passed this year requiring all boards of education to adopt a policy defining appropriate use of cellphones at school. Knox County Schools got feedback from principals and families to develop the policy, says Executive Principal Spencer Long.
There was some concern that the new cellphone policy could create friction between schools and students and families, but principals in Knox County report a smooth transition, Long says.
Halls High School offers annual digital citizenship instruction at the beginning of each school year on personal technology use and accessing information on the internet safely and appropriately, Long says.
6) Cornell School District in Pennsylvania allows students to carry cellphones in school. High school students can also use their phones to listen to music or check messages during downtime in class, with the teacher’s permission.
The approach works well for the small district because ownership is put on students to use cellphones responsibly and teachers have autonomy to make their own classroom policies, according to Superintendent Aaron Thomas.
“I don’t think it’s realistic to say no kids can have them on their person, or they can’t have them in their backpacks,” Thomas says.
For students who don’t put their phone away when asked, the school calls a student’s parents and tells them the student can’t bring the phone to school. A school or district administrator will tell parents, “We’re not doing this to be bad people. We’re doing it because we want the same thing — we want what’s best for your kid, and we want them to do as well as they can while they’re here.”
“The parents are very receptive to that,” says Thomas.
The district has a high school elective course on social media platforms covering the positive and negative aspects of these tools.
“I think it’s kind of our responsibility to educate the kids on that,” Thomas says.
K-12 Dive
