ܹ̳

Ed-Tech Policy

What Happened When This District Did an About-Face on Cellphones

By Arianna Prothero — June 12, 2024 3 min read
A student takes notes on their cell phone during class at Bel Air High School in Bel Air, Md., on Jan. 25, 2024.
  • Save to favorites
  • Print
Email Copy URL

After years of allowing middle school students in Worthington, Ohio, to have cellphones in class, the district reversed course in the spring of 2022.

It banned cellphones from classrooms. Middle schoolers must keep their cellphones in their lockers but are allowed to have them during lunch and other breaks.

The policy has been a success, says Trent Bowers, the superintendent of the 10,000-student district located in a suburb of Columbus.

See Also

cellphone distraction policy bans in schools static
Laura Baker/ܹ̳ via canva

But he argues that cellphones are only part of a larger problem that the district is grappling with: technology has drastically altered parents’ expectations about how on-demand their children and children’s teachers should be during the school day.

ܹ̳ spoke with Bowers about that challenge and the evolution of his district’s cellphone policy. This conversation has been edited for length and clarity.

Why did you change your policy on cellphones in middle school so drastically?

Trent Bowers

There was just a real feeling that our middle school students needed to be away from devices so they could interact with each other, that it was really having a negative impact on our middle school students. Those schools worked with parents and made that change, and parents were really supportive of that change at the time.

That was our evolution. We went six or seven years where we were staunchly “no, we’re not gonna ban these, that our kids need to learn to [use] them. This is the world they’re going live in. They’re going to need to learn when to put them away, how to deal with it.”

We made a shift at the middle school, less of a shift to the high school, and maybe that’s where we end up. Maybe that’s the right gradual release. We’re not quite sure yet.

At the high school level, you allow teachers to set the policy each day using a red, yellow, or green dot to communicate to students what the cellphone policy is for that class period. How did you come up with this approach?

Before we instituted our red, yellow, green system, we were hearing from teachers that they were really concerned about cellphones. I met with our teacher union leadership, and I said, “Why don’t you guys create a plan and then bring that plan to me?” They met together with teachers for a couple months and eventually came back and said, “Our teachers feel very differently: some really feel like they want students to be able to access those devices in the classroom, and some feel like they shouldn’t.”

See also

Mitchell Rutherford, who taught biology at Sahuaro High School in Tucson, Ariz., left the profession due, in part, to students' cell phone usage. Here, pictured at Finger Rock Trailhead in Tucson on June 8, 2024.
Mitchell Rutherford, who taught biology at Sahuaro High School in Tucson, Ariz., left the profession due, in part, to students' cell phone usage. Here, pictured at Finger Rock Trailhead in Tucson on June 8, 2024.
Cassidy Araiza for ܹ̳

We’re in a reasonably good place with cellphones. It’s not something I’m hearing about from teachers or families. We feel like we’re in a good place at our elementary, and middle. High school feels pretty stable. Smartphones [are] the challenge of our generation, right? We’re all trying to figure out what is the right path for the future. And I’m not sure that any of us know the answer.

Parents often text and email their kids during the school day. Has this been a problem in your schools?

Our parents, sometimes grandparents, they’ve just gotten used to being in touch with their kids all day long. It’s often the case where a child just shows up at the office and says, “My mom’s coming to pick me up.” A previous generation mom would’ve called the office. Now, full transparency, I’m a dad in the school district. I’ve texted my kids during the school day, just like, ‘don’t forget to pick this up,’ ‘don’t forget to do this.’

We [as a society] are in constant communication. Do I think for some of our parents, it would make them really nervous for that to stop being the case? I think it would. But that doesn’t mean that we couldn’t come up with a new normal to say, “Hey, during these hours we all get used to not having that communication.”

Has this constant communication between students and their families risen to the level of distraction for your teachers?

Every teacher would tell you a story of a cellphone [vibrating] in class and it not being another student who’s messaging, but it being a parent or a grandparent.

But that constant connection isn’t just related to cellphones. It’s being able to email people all day long and check grades all the time. And how quickly does a teacher put a grade in versus another teacher? We expect things to be instant in all areas. I definitely think from a teacher standpoint, this has really become a lot [to deal with].

Cellphones in Schools

Explore our coverage around students’ use of cellphones in schools:
> Guide to setting a policy: Here’s a decisionmaking tool for educators to map out the different potential outcomes when putting cellphone policies in play.
> Cellphone bans and restrictions: See which states are requiring cellphone restrictions or bans in schools in our tracker. Explore our tracker.
> Nuisance or teaching tool? How teachers are turning an ubiquitous and growing class nuisance—the smartphone—into a tool for learning.
> Cellphone policies, explained: ܹ̳ breaks down the different ways schools are addressing cellphone use, and the factors to weigh before adopting or changing the rules. Check out our explainer.
> Tips from teens & teachers: Teenagers offer 6 tips on how schools should manage students’ cellphone use, and educators share their tips on policing cellphone use in classrooms.
> Then & now: How the “sexting” panic previewed today’s debate about kids’ cellphone use.

Complete coverage on cellphones in schools >

Related Tags:

Events

Artificial Intelligence K-12 Essentials Forum Big AI Questions for Schools. How They Should Respond 
Join this free virtual event to unpack some of the big questions around the use of AI in K-12 education.
This content is provided by our sponsor. It is not written by and does not necessarily reflect the views of ܹ̳'s editorial staff.
Sponsor
School & District Management Webinar
Harnessing AI to Address Chronic Absenteeism in Schools
Learn how AI can help your district improve student attendance and boost academic outcomes.
Content provided by 
This content is provided by our sponsor. It is not written by and does not necessarily reflect the views of ܹ̳'s editorial staff.
Sponsor
Science Webinar
Spark Minds, Reignite Students & Teachers: STEM’s Role in Supporting Presence and Engagement
Is your district struggling with chronic absenteeism? Discover how STEM can reignite students' and teachers' passion for learning.
Content provided by 

EdWeek Top School Jobs

Teacher Jobs
Search over ten thousand teaching jobs nationwide — elementary, middle, high school and more.
Principal Jobs
Find hundreds of jobs for principals, assistant principals, and other school leadership roles.
Administrator Jobs
Over a thousand district-level jobs: superintendents, directors, more.
Support Staff Jobs
Search thousands of jobs, from paraprofessionals to counselors and more.

Read Next

Ed-Tech Policy Need Guidance on How to Avoid AI Pitfalls? New Resources Aim to Help Schools
The U.S. Department of Education has released new resources for schools on AI that include recommendations on some thorny issues.
4 min read
Photo illustration of teacher using AI for grading.
iStock
Ed-Tech Policy Opinion How to Become an Ed-Tech Visionary Without Really Trying
Beware of PR grifters eager to turn education pros into A-list-worthy celebs. (And read the fine print.)
4 min read
The United States Capitol building as a bookcase filled with red, white, and blue policy books in a Washington DC landscape.
Luca D'Urbino for ܹ̳
Ed-Tech Policy Should Schools Have Cellphone Restrictions for Teachers Too?
Schools expect teachers to model responsible cellphone use.
4 min read
Illustration of a young woman turning off her mobile phone which is even bigger than she is.
iStock/Getty
Ed-Tech Policy Here's When Most Americans Think Cellphones Should Be Banned
Banning cellphones during class is very popular with American adults.
5 min read
A student uses their cell phone after unlocking the pouch that secures it from use during the school day at Bayside Academy on Friday, Aug. 16, 2024, in San Mateo, Calif. Gavin Newsom sent letters Tuesday, Aug. 13, to school districts, urging them to restrict students’ use of smartphones on campus.
A student uses a cellphone after unlocking the pouch that secures it from use during the school day at Bayside Academy in San Mateo, Calif., on Aug. 16, 2024.
Lea Suzuki/San Francisco Chronicle via AP