In May 2024, the Minnesota legislature passed a law requiring all school districts to adopt a cellphone policy by March 2025. While the deadline is in March, many schools across Minnesota implemented a new cellphone policy at the beginning of the 2024-2025 school ye
ar. The Stillwater School district is expected to finalize a new cellphone policy by March, with plans to introduce it in the 2025-2026 school year.
Over the past few years, the number of students using cell phones in class has grown tremendously. 97% of students say they use their cellphone during school according to research done by K-12 Dive. Students are now beginning to develop negative impacts because of their phone usage. Students face problems with stress, anxiety and mental health problems. In addition, student’s academic performance is also negatively affected. According to the London School of Economics, students without access to cell phones during the school day, score 13-20% better than students with cellphone access.
Junior Parker Harris said most students do not use their phones for academics and ultimately their phones become a distraction to them in class prohibiting them from completing their work.
The high school’s current cellphone policy requires students to put their cell phones in a cell phone caddy at the beginning of class, and then retrieve them at the bell.
“It’s mostly successful, and most kids just do it right when they walk in. The only downfall is having to check it and remind kids. It just feels like a negative way to start class,” Spanish teacher Corrie Crothers said.
On the other hand, some students say that most of their teachers have their own policies when it comes to cell phones.
“I’ve got a few teachers who don’t really enforce the policy and they usually have their own and aren’t really strict about it so most students are able to be on their phone,” Harris said.
One proposal for the new cellphone policy is that students will be required to put their phones somewhere or lock it away. One way they could achieve this is by utilizing a device called a Yondr pouch. A Yondr pouch is a magnetically sealed fabric pouch that locks up phones. They can be unlocked and locked only with a magnet. In the past eight years, school districts in 41 states have spent $2.5 million to buy pouches from Yondr, according to NBC. School districts across the country have had major success with the Yondr pouches. Given the success, Stillwater schools could consider implementing them.
“If that were the policy, I think we should have a room where you’re allowed to use it under supervision because some students still need to contact their families. But overall It would lower cellphone use drastically and reduce the temptation for students,” sophomore Dustin Jurca said.
The new cellphone policy will likely create a phone-free environment for students at Stillwater High School. A phone-free environment will significantly limit student’s cellphone use but it may not benefit everyone as some students might find other ways to stay distracted during the school day.
“I think it depends on the student, some students want to be here and others are forced to be here. For kids who want to be here, it would benefit them. For kids who don’t, it would cause them to talk more or play games on their computer which would create a larger distraction,” Jurca said.
Many students and staff believe we should keep the current cellphone policy for the next school year. For the past few years, the cellphone policy has been that students place their phones in the cellphone caddy for the duration of class. Keeping the current cellphone policy will keep constancy for students and staff. Students also will be able to have their phone if they need it.
Crothers likes the “consistency” because it makes it easier. Crothers added that our current policy works, as along as we can continue to implement it with integrity.
As of now, the new cell phone policy is still undecided. With many proposals on the board, the school board has to make a decision by March and the policy will be implemented in the 2025-2026 school year. This policy will drastically change how students use their cell phones in school.