6 ways administrators are handling cellphone bans in the new school year

By Kara Arundel 

As schools open their doors to usher students and staff into a new school year, there is one familiar and constantly present item that is increasingly unwelcome: cellphones. 

As of July 28, 33 states had enacted laws or policies on cellphone usage in K-12 classrooms or schools, with 26 of those states banning or limiting cellphone use in classrooms, according to Ballotpedia. Many districts and schools also have their own restrictions.

Concerns about classroom distractions and social media’s erosion on student mental well-being have contributed to the growth in restrictions. 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. 

But setting a more restrictive cellphone policy is only one step in separating students from their devices. Actually teaching and enforcing the rules, as well as making any necessary adjustments and instructing students on healthy online habits, are other critical components of a successful policy, school and district leaders said.

Six school and district administrators share what they’ve learned as their schools have implemented such major changes.

Ogden High School, Utah

Before a statewide school cellphone ban in Utah took effect July 1, Ogden High School already had a no-phone policy during instructional hours for its 1,100 students. Principal Shauna Haney said that since the restrictions began last year, there’s been a notable increase in student engagement and fewer classroom distractions. 

″The main challenge we’ve faced is that students are accustomed to having their phones, and it can be a difficult habit to break,” said Haney in an email. “We are committed to helping them adapt, and we believe the long-term benefits to their learning outweigh the initial hurdles.”

The policy requires phones to be stored away in backpacks during the school day. The first time a student violates the policy, a teacher will ask the student to put the phone in a classroom locker. A school administrator will then pick up the phone from the classroom, have a conference with the student and contact the parents. The student can pick up the phone at the end of the school day.

For the second offense, the same approach is taken, but a parent will need to pick up the phone at the end of the school day. The third offense follows the same steps as the second but adds a parent conference and the creation of a plan to support the student’s compliance.  

Haney’s advice to other school administrators implementing cellphone restrictions is to prioritize communication and consistency. Getting feedback from parents, staff and administrators is “crucial” when developing a policy, she said.

“This helps ensure everyone is on the same page and understands the purpose of the policy,” Haney said. Also important is teaching and reinforcing the expectations with students and consistent enforcement of the policy, she said.

Ogden High School also provides digital literacy lessons to help students use technology responsibly. A key area of focus for school this academic year is helping students understand and responsibly use artificial intelligence. 

“We are in the early stages of exploring how to integrate AI education into our curriculum in a way that prepares students for the future while reinforcing ethical use,” Haney said.  

DeWitt Clinton High School, New York

The 1,200-student DeWitt Clinton High School in the New York City school system has refined their student cellphone policy over the years to increase compliance and to streamline procedures. 

For example, a previous policy required the beginning-of-the-day collection and end-of-day distribution of cellphones that caused massive lines of students trying to reunite with their phones. The updated policy requires students to, at the start of the day, place their cellphones into a school-issued bubble wrap security pouch labeled with their last period class. 

The phones are collected, logged and stored in secure bins matched to each student’s schedule. Phones are delivered to students during their last class. To receive their phone back, students must attend all classes, especially their last period. If they don’t attend their last class, they don’t get their phones back. 

Staff members monitor the process throughout the day, and any attempt by a student to bypass the system results in disciplinary follow-up and parental engagement.

Principal Pierre Orbe said in an email that the policy adjustment of 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.

The broader cellphone policy has contributed to fewer disciplinary actions and improved academic outcomes, Orbe said. The school used to log about 3 to 5 coordinated fights a day — often planned through cellphone communication — and now goes weeks without a single incident, said Orbe.

The graduation rate in 2015 was 46%. In 2024, it was 93%, surpassing New York’s average of 86%, according to state data.

Orbe advises school administrators to have a clear vision of expected outcomes and to not be fearful of implementing major cellphone policies. “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.”

Orbe also recommends aligning cellphone policies to academic goals, social-emotional learning and school safety. Students, he said, will “respect the structure if it’s part of a larger investment in their success.”

To complement the progress the school has made in reducing student cellphone usage, DeWitt Clinton High School is launching a “Unit Zero” at the start of each term to teach foundational academic and tech literacy skills across content areas. 

This includes explicit instruction on discussion skills, group norms and literacy for classroom discourse to support students conditioned to isolate while scrolling. Also included in the lessons are reading on the pros and cons of technology use and guided instruction on AI-enhanced learning.

“We see AI as a new literacy frontier,” Orbe said. “Our approach ensures students learn to use technology with purpose, not dependency.”

District of Columbia Public Schools, Washington, D.C.

A new, citywide cellphone ban began Monday — the first day of the school year — for students in District of Columbia Public Schools in Washington, D.C. The new policy, announced last school year in June, prohibits students from using cellphones from the moment the first class bell rings in the morning until the dismissal bell in the afternoon.  

All middle schools and several high schools previously had a bell-to-bell prohibition on cellphones. Likewise, several other schools had their own cellphone restrictions. But for about 30 of the district’s 117 schools, this will be a new approach. There are about 50,000 pre-K-12 students in the district. 

“I think it gives us the best opportunity to support students academically and socially without the distractions that phones can often bring,” said DCPS Chancellor Lewis Ferebee, who added he anticipates the cellphone ban will decrease bullying and inappropriate communication through text and social media.  

The new policy was crafted with input from focus groups the district held with students, parents, principals and teachers. For example, Ferebee said, school administrators know their school communities best, so the policy allows each school to decide whether students may store their cellphones in their backpacks or lockers during the school day or have a central storage area for students to leave their phones until the school day is over.

The policy also provides exceptions 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.

“We gave the flexibility for school autonomy but also recognize the unique circumstances that students may have,” Ferebee said.

The policy also requires schools to incorporate age-appropriate lessons on digital citizenship and safe online behaviors for students in grades K-12, which Ferebee said is an extension of related and on-going instruction on responsible digital usage.

The age-appropriate lessons on self-awareness and self-management of digital usage are
“designed so students have a balanced relationship with technology,” Ferebee said.

McPherson Middle School, Kansas

After Kansas’ McPherson Middle School implemented a no cellphone policy in 2022, there’s been more student engagement in class, fewer discipline issues, less social media conflict and stronger face-to-face interactions, said Principal Inge Esping.

“The whole vibe is different,” Esping said of the 470-student, 6-8 grade school.

The school’s policy prohibits student use of all personal electronic devices, including cellphones, cameras, electronic games, wireless earbuds, smart watches or similar devices during the school day. These devices must be stowed away.

If a student violates the policy during school hours, the device will be confiscated by a staff member and turned into the office. With a first offense, the device is taken away, and the student receives a warning and must pick up their device after school. For a second offense, the parent must pick up the device from the office. Students violating the policy for a third time receive detention, and the parent must pick up the device from school.

Esping recommends that school leaders communicate the purpose of the cellphone policy, be consistent with the rules, and get staff buy-in. “Anticipate some pushback at first, but stay the course — students adapt quickly, and the benefits are worth it.” 

Additionally, the school pairs restrictions with instruction by teaching digital citizenship, safe online practices and responsible use of technology in class to help students “learn how to use devices productively rather than constantly,” Esping said.