Mary Byrne
In an effort to cut down on distractions and improve student engagement, Belmont High School is considering joining a growing number of Massachusetts schools restricting the use of cell phones in classrooms.
“I know that not everyone will be in favor of this shift,” Principal Isaac Taylor said in a letter to Belmont High School families. “But I believe that if we have a consistent policy that is developed with input from staff, students, and families, we will further improve the learning environment at BHS.”
Ultimately, a new policy would need to be reviewed by the teacher’s union and eventually the School Committee for passage.
The proposed policy, which would be effective in the upcoming school year, “requires phones to be off and away in all classes,” Taylor wrote in the letter to families. The current policy requires cell phones be off and away during lesson time, except when a teacher allows them for academic purposes.
The inconsistency in classroom expectations creates challenges for teachers who do choose to enforce a no cell phone policy in their classrooms. In an interview with The Voice, Taylor added that cell phones have cut down on students’ ability to engage with one another.
“It’s definitely something I’ve picked up on as a principal, when I’ve been out and about in the school, which is that classes are much quieter than they used to be,” Taylor said. “We do tend to focus on the academic piece that you’re not listening to your teacher, but I also think it’s about listening and interacting with your peers.”
Taylor’s letter to families included a survey asking students and parents to share their concerns or questions related to a cell phone-free classroom policy at Belmont High School. Staff and faculty were asked to complete separate surveys, he said.
Of 80 responses, roughly 87% of staff and faculty expressed support for a new policy, according to Taylor. As for the survey sent to families, of 431 responses, 69% came from parents, a majority of whom also expressed support for a new cell phone policy, he said.
Students’ responses, however, were a bit more split.
“Students are definitely talking about [the potential policy change],” said Gavin Tieken-Zidel, 18, a senior in student government. “Juniors are not thrilled about it, but there isn’t a whole lot [of information] out there.”
According to Belmont Education Association President John Sullivan, rules about cell phone use are left up to the teachers, with some requiring students to place their phones in a cell phone holder at the start of class and others having no specific guidelines.
Sullivan, a social educator who offers in-class support for students with Individual Education Plans (IEPs), said he doesn’t require his students to put their phones away in a holder before class, but he does consider them a distraction.
“They now have Chromebooks, so they should be able to get all the information they need without having a cell phone,” he said. “I think having a consistent policy will make it easier for students to get into the routine of checking them in somewhere at the start of class and not having access to them.”
How much of a distraction phones are seems to vary from person to person, and from classroom to classroom, according to Jeff Shea, a social studies teacher.
“I think we’re all distracted by our devices and any kind of distractions that we’ve got that gets in the way of learning — especially as powerful of a tool as a cell phone — is just making the job of students and the job of teachers harder,” Shea said.
He said students might benefit from a universal ban on cell phones in the classrooms.
“I think it’s going to be really difficult to get any sort of consensus on that,” he added. “I think, for me, I would extend that [policy] even to the hallways and the academic wings of the school, but I know students enjoy using their phones when they’re not in class and on the free time they have.”
With each passing year, students who take Gabrielle Garschina’s Spanish class become more familiar with the expectation that their phones will be stored away in a cell phone holder at the start of each class.
“For me, it’s very cut and dry,” Garschina said. “I just didn’t want to police it. They’d have [their phone] under their legs, in their pocket … anywhere they could so they’d be able to feel that connection to their phone.”
Garschina started using a cell phone holder in 2019, and over the years has noticed the popularity of the system grow, she said. As a result, students appear to be more accepting of the arrangement.
She also emphasized the positive reception she’s received from parents of the students in her class.
“It was unexpected,” she said. “So, it’s obviously coming up for them, that they’re worried about [cell phone distraction]. Then, for me to say, ‘This is how I handle it’ — the way they reacted, I was doubly surprised.”
Other teachers, however, wonder if a ban could succeed.
“The devil is in the enforcement,” according to physics teacher John Loosmann.
“If it means we’re going to have to devote time every day to collecting phones … and trying to discipline kids who are breaking policy, I don’t think it’s going to work,” he said. “Teachers are so busy as it is.”
Still, he said, phones are “without a doubt, a major distraction for everyone.”
“It’s a universal distraction in and out of the school,” said Loosmann. “I’ve been teaching since before anyone had cell phones, and I obviously noticed a huge change.”
Loosmann added there are some things phones are good for; students often use their phones to submit homework assignments on Google Classroom. Phones are tools that can be used in science class, through applications that can measure the degree of an incline, for example. The flashlights and timers on the phones are also useful.
“There’s lots of things that are useful; however, unless it’s those things, they’re super distracting,” Loosmann said. “If you walk around the school, you’ll see kids on their phone all the time, with AirPods in. … I think it needs to be addressed.”
For English teacher Kim Masterson, the subject of cell phones and implementing a policy isn’t black and white. While they can be a distraction for students, phones also serve as a backup when Chromebooks fail. They can also be used as workarounds for seniors working on their final projects who may need sites that aren’t accessible on school computers.
“I think whatever this policy is going to look like, I think there are some things we need to solve for,” she said.
In general, Masterson said she is concerned about the impact phones can have on mental health.
“I think that is very appealing to me, with potentially creating a break [from the phones],” she said.
In November 2023, two U.S. senators, Tom Cotton of Arkansas and Tim Kaine of Virginia, introduced legislation that would require a federal study on the effects of cellphone use in schools on students’ mental health and academic performance, according to Education Week. The bill, dubbed the Focus on Learning Act, also aims to establish a pilot program of awarding grants to enable schools to create a cellphone-free environment in schools.
“I do think I am generally concerned, as everyone is, about the connection between being on the phone and being connected on social media so much, and the impact on mental health on everyone,” Masterson said, “but mostly our teenagers.”
