If you’re an educator, I don’t need to tell you about the harmful effects of cellphones in the classroom on learning and mental health. Teachers are fighting this battle every day. Administrators tell me that teachers are begging them to implement policies for limiting or banning cellphones in school. The idea is gaining momentum across the country.
If you’re thinking about enacting a cell phone policy in your schools, you probably have many questions. Fortunately, we can learn from schools and districts that are leading the way. Since there are no standards yet for banning phones, districts are crafting new strategies to meet the growing needs of their communities.
I spoke with two principals of schools/districts that have restricted student phones with very different policies. We recently published the story of First Branch Unified District in central Vermont's White River Valley, covering how they developed and implemented their policy and the results.
Here is part 2 in our series: the story of Sage Alliance School in Rochelle Park, New Jersey.
Sage Alliance: a middle ground for success
Sage Alliance in Rochelle Park, New Jersey is a private, therapeutic high school serving 60 disabled students. The school day is structured with academic subjects in the morning, followed by lunch and specials in the afternoon.
For several years, staff had witnessed increasing disengagement in the classroom and even addictive behavior caused by student cell phone use. Parents were interrupting their childrens’ learning by texting them throughout the day. Even worse, students were calling their parents and going home instead of working through their academic and social/emotional issues at school.
Like First Branch Unified District, Sage Alliance’s staff were begging for a strong intervention from the district.
“Teachers were losing the battle in the classroom,” explained Robert. “We knew other schools were working toward limiting phone use, and while we didn’t necessarily want to be first, we definitely didn’t want to be last to implement this policy.”
The policy
Starting in September 2023, Sage Alliance has limited student cell phone access during their morning academic classes. Students store their phones in a lockbox during homeroom. Students are allowed to have their phones at lunch and during afternoon electives. Phones are not allowed during whole-school activities, but can be brought along (but kept put away) during field trips.
The Sage Alliance team was able to collaborate with the nearby Ramsey Public School District and adopt aspects of their policy.
“We have adopted a 4-strike policy for infractions,” said Robert, “but students are complying. In more than a year no student has more than 2 strikes.”
The implementation process
Sage Alliance began by assembling a committee of 6 staff members to research the problem and share observations and experiences with cell phone use during classes and therapeutic sessions.
The next step was to share research about the harmful impacts of cell phones in school with parents, and invite them to be involved in policy development.
“Educating the parents has been a big part of what we are doing,” explained Robert. “When we presented at back to school night, there were nodding heads all over the room. New parents have been on board also.”
Since the transition to limit phone use in class, staff have made extra effort to check in frequently and support students who are struggling. They work through problems together so the student feels less need to contact parents during the school day.
The outcome achieved by limiting phones in school
Sage Alliance has been limiting student cell phone use for more than a year now, and the impact has been significant:
- Although students are allowed to get their phones out at lunch, they often don’t do so until later in the day (by their own choice).
- Students are more engaged even when they do have their phones.
- Group therapy sessions are more fruitful.
- Students spend more time interacting with each other.
Robert also shared long-term impacts along with one caution:
“I’m getting glowing reports on this effort. By limiting phone use at school, we’re helping students learn strategies and techniques to use when they leave us and get out into the world.”
“With less phones, it’s loud in the lunchroom. Lunch isn’t supposed to be quiet, but be careful what you wish for!”
Stay tuned for part 3 in our series with tips for creating and implementing your own cell phone policies.
