‘This is harming our students’: District looks to power down on cellphones in the classrooms

As concerns mount over the ill effects of social media on adolescents, schools across the country are taking another look at cellphones — and other smart devices — in the classroom.

For some suburban school districts, that means new policies this year.

The mantra at Evanston Township High School will be “bell to bell, no cell” as the school enacts a new policy requiring students to power down their phones and place them in a storage caddie at the beginning of each class.

At Lake Zurich Community Unit District 95, middle and high school students also will turn in their phones at the beginning of each class. And Elk Grove Township Elementary District 59, junior high school students will be asked this year to store their cellphones in their lockers during the school day.

In a Daily Herald column last week, St. Charles Unit District 303 Superintendent Paul Gordon invited teachers, students and parents to get involved as the district looks to move to phone-free classrooms for the 2025-26 school year.

“As a district that embraces our strategic plan, we owe it to our educators and students to start a communitywide conversation about the role and impact of cellphones and social media on our students’ academic success and mental health,” Gordon wrote.

The why

Gordon said the district plans to use the upcoming school year to delve into the issue of cellphones in schools. In addition to putting together a committee to create a revised policy, the district also will host focus groups and survey the community.

Gordon, who said he is not looking to make a “stroke-of-the-pen” decision on the issue, says he hopes open conversations will help share the district’s reasoning in pursuing a districtwide expectation regarding cellphones and other devices in the classroom.

“Our number one why is our students,” Gordon said in an interview this week. “This is harming our students from an academic, social and emotional standpoint.”

As part of the effort, members of a soon-to-be-created advisory committee will be reading “The Anxious Generation: How the Great Rewiring of Childhood is Causing an Epidemic of Mental Health” and a U.S. Surgeon’s General Advisory on social media and youth mental health to understand better how cellphones and social media are affecting students.

According to a 2022 study from the Pew Research Center, up to 95% of teens ages 13 to 17 said they used social media and more than a third said they used social media “almost constantly.” Gordon echoed long-standing concerns that social media use among teens can lead to cyberbullying, depression and anxiety.

Last month, U.S. Surgeon General Vivek Murthy suggested social media sites should come with a warning label — similar to those found on cigarettes — to alert users of the potential harm to youth. He also suggested schools and other policymakers can take steps to help break the hold social media has on youth.

Leveling expectations

Right now in St. Charles, decisions on when cellphones can be used are left up to individual schools and, in many cases, can vary from classroom to classroom.

Having a districtwide policy enforced across the board can aid in creating cell-free zones and minimizing the power struggle over phones between teachers and students, officials said.

“It’s hard when this teacher is OK with cellphones,” Gordon said. “Because within his or her class, it works. But right next door, it doesn’t work.”

Of teachers surveyed, more than 70% reported some type of cellphone disruption happens in their classroom daily or almost daily, said Jennifer Adam, president of the St. Charles Education Association. Roughly 97% of teachers also said they would favor a districtwide policy, she said.

Cell-free zones

Though this fall marks the official start of the “bell to bell, no cell” policy, Evanston Township High School teachers tested out the policy throughout summer school.

“It went overwhelmingly well,” said Nichole Boyd, dean of student success, safety and well-being.

In addition to powering off and turning in their cells at the start of class, students will have to turn off any smartwatches and put away earbuds and any other devices to minimize distractions.

District 95 also will use cellphone caddies at the middle and high schools. While students won’t be able to access their phones during class, there will be structured times, such as lunch or before or after school, where students can use their devices. Each classroom also will have a “safety corner” for emergency access.

Students in District 59 junior high schools will participate in lessons at the start of this school year about the change in cellphone policy. There also will be lessons throughout the year focused on “digital responsibility.”

“The change in our cellphone procedure stems from an effort to encourage more face-to-face interactions among students, helping them develop stronger social skills,” said Ben Grey, District 59’s assistant superintendent of technology information.

Path to change

Gordon expects to open the application process for the advisory committee by the end of August. The group will include parents, teachers, students and administrators.

In addition, the district will engage the community through surveys and focus groups, he said.

By December, Gordon hopes to have a recommendation from the committee on a policy. The committee will spend the second half the school year developing implementation plans.

· Staff writers Christopher Placek and Mick Zawislak contributed to this report.