Every day, students reach in their pockets, search their backpacks, look between couch cushions and around their houses, each one looking for the same thing: their phone.
In recent years, states across the country adopted a strict “bell-to-bell” phone ban, prohibiting student phone use for the entire school day. Florida led the movement in 2023 by banning phones during class time, later expanding the policy to cover the full school day. Other states, including New York, have followed with similar full-day bans; this debate has now reached Massachusetts, signaling a nationwide shift toward tighter restrictions on student phone use.
How these bans are enforced varies widely. Some schools have been using phone pouches (for example, Yondr Pouches) to store phones during the day, others allow students to have their phones, but not use them.
The phone ban debate has now reached our community, sparking a (small but passionate) staff-organized protest in favor of the ban. The Cypress’ opinion: we are not in favor of a phone ban at the high school.
Our school mantras make our environment unique. “Freedom and Responsibility” is used to set standards throughout the high school. We believe this mantra would be infringed upon with the implementation of a full-day phone ban.
The open campus policy presents similar drawbacks to phone use. The same freedom that allows students to leave school grounds should apply to a phone policy. These two freedoms run parallel to each other, as they both rely on trusting students to make responsible decisions with their time. This faith in student independence should be applied in all aspects of our school.
Many teachers have already implemented their own classroom phone bans by having students place their phones in caddies or shelves for the entire class period. This combats any distraction that phones would cause students during class.
Ultimately, in our increasingly technologically advanced world, phones and other devices have become a vital part of our society. Whether it’s communicating with others, setting reminders or even checking when class starts, phones have become an essential tool that all people and students rely on each day for convenience.
However, the push for a ban is certainly understandable as phones can cause distraction and social isolation. But knowing how our world operates, it is unrealistic to think that removing phones completely will eliminate these underlying issues. Even if phones are banned, nothing stops students from replacing that distraction with personal computers.
In the end, a full-day phone ban might seem effective, but it fails to address the importance of “Freedom and Responsibility” that the high school offers us. Rather than harsh policies, administrators should teach students how to manage their devices appropriately. Teachers could continue using phone caddies and enforce punishment for students who misuse their devices. The phones aren’t the problem; how we use them is. By enforcing guidance over restriction, we create an environment that values self-discipline and mutual respect and ultimately becomes the culture we want.
