Three teachers. One night out. Zero tolerance for phones.
As students arrived at school on Tuesday, Oct. 1, English teacher Eric Colburn, social studies teacher Sam Dickerman and former Social Studies Department Chair Gary Shiffman stood outside the entrance to the high school holding homemade signs and cups of coffee.
The trio waved their “Ban Phones at BHS!!” and “Make The Call: Ban Phones” signs at passing cars–some of which honked in approval–while a few students approached them to say hello or engage in debate over the protest.
Dickerman, who utilizes a phone caddy in his classroom said the inspiration behind the demonstration came to the three educators during a casual night out together. According to Dickerman, they agreed that it was time for a new school-wide phone policy and that the digital distractions were detrimental to learning, friendships, and school culture itself.
“Why do I, as a teacher, have to ban [phones] in my classroom when the entire building should ban them?” Dickmerman said. “The evidence is quite clear that phones in schools hurt productivity, and we all think kids will be happier if [phones] are not in school.”
In Massachusetts, the Senate passed a bill in July 2025 that would require “bell-to-bell” phone bans in all public school districts. This new policy will be implemented by the 2026-27 school year. However, as Dickerman pointed out, the state House of Representatives has not passed a companion bill.
“I don’t see why Brookline should wait for that. It’s a no-brainer. We’ve been leaders on other things. Why aren’t we leaders on banning phones?” Dickerman said.
Dickerman said that one solution was lockable phone pouches, a measure that Colburn mentioned could help curb student impulses to use them.
“Phones are kind of like a drug or sugar, so people are going to use them,” Colburn said. “An advantage of having a school community is that you can decide together to make rules to make everything healthy for everybody.”
Colburn said that he ultimately hopes their protest will make the phone dilemma more visible by encouraging staff, students and families alike to talk about it, especially those with decision-making power, such as members of the School Committee. Until then, he will continue to reward students who are seen without their phones outside of class.
“When I have cafeteria duty, I try to walk around and give candy to tables of kids who don’t have any phones out at the table,” Colburn said. “Often those tables are the most fun and happy tables that I see.”
Shiffman said he has seen phone use replace human interaction over his years at the high school and that these social skills should be valued just as much as student education. He also said that students should be aware that when they compare themselves to others online, they are exacerbating their anxieties.
“Then there’s the stuff we know: [social media] makes girls very anxious and sad and depressed,” Shiffman said.
As smartphones became more common, Shiffman said he also observed a shift in the classroom.
“I started [working] in a school in 2006. Back then, kids were talking so much I had to fight to get them to attend to the lesson,” Shiffman said. “By the time I left [school], I [would] walk into a room and the kids didn’t talk to each other at all. They’re all staring at their phones.”
