Each school year brings a wave of changes, often in the form of new policies and procedures. This year’s change came in the form of a statewide law banning personal communication devices during school hours.
“One thing I’ve noticed is that during passing periods and in the cafeteria, I see more students talking to each other and interacting more,” assistant principal Annuar Ortiz said.
The policy restricts students’ phones throughout the school day as phones are required to be put away while on campus.
“Phone issues were handled directly with students. Now, every issue involves a call home, and after the second offense, parents have to come pick up the device and meet with us,” Ortiz said. “Discipline related to devices has become more prevalent and requires more time.”
Though enforcing the ban has been time consuming for teachers and administration. Administrators have adjusted some restrictions for students who need them.
“Students with high medical needs usually qualify through an IEP, a 504 plan, or an emergency health plan through the nurse. We look at those cases individually and set formal guidelines,” Ortiz said.
Adjusting to the new policy was not easy for students at first, but many students have adapted or adjusted over the school year.
“I’ve noticed people have been a little more attentive, but people are kind of goofing off in class more because they have nothing to entertain themselves with,” senior Jay Miller said.
There has been a shift in student engagement around campus.
“There are students who would have been tempted to check a message on their phone who are no longer doing that. So I would say there has been some increase in engagement,” Ortiz said.
The ban has created challenges for specific tasks students previously completed using their phones during the school day. Scanning documents and submitting assignments into Google Classroom, and staying informed through emails, all now require a different approach.
“Sometimes assignments are harder because last year a lot of teachers had you turn things in by scanning them,” Miller said. “This year, I have to wait to get home to scan things, and I can’t do it while I’m here, so it makes me forget assignments more.”
Associate professor in education at West Texas A&M Dr. Brigette Whaley spent the 2024-2025 school year, before the house bill passed last June, surveying teachers about the changes they see when cellphones are banned in the classroom.
“I was most interested in the teacher perspective for this research. I wanted to see what teachers observed and what their perceptions were while implementing a cell phone ban policy,” Whaley said. “I looked at teacher perceptions across one academic year and focused on what benefits and problems they observed in their own classrooms. I conducted three survey waves with teachers at a rural Texas high school — a beginning-of-year, middle-of-year, and end-of-year survey.”
Teachers reported to Whaley that they are noticing students are paying more attention and being proactive inside the classroom and with peers.
“Teachers consistently noted that removing cell phones improved student attention and concentration while instruction was happening. There was less distraction, and students were more engaged,” Whaley said.
One impact the phone ban has brought to schools all across Texas is a better community forming within schools.
“Teachers also reported improved focus and increased participation, with students being more willing to engage in class discussions. Another key observation was that stronger relationships were being built between students, which led to fewer behavioral issues in classrooms,” Whaley said.
Though students were outraged at the beginning of the school year about the phone ban, many have come to understand the no-phone rule; some even came to enjoy the disconnect from devices.
“We work with young adults, not young children. Sometimes decisions are made for them rather than with them, and this is one of those situations,” Ortiz said. “But, it’s also an opportunity for reflection. My hope is that students learn it can be healthy to put their phones away, even outside of school.”
