Seven states passed laws prohibiting cellphone use during instruction time or requiring districts to impose restrictions at the local level.
Mountain Middle School in Durango, Colorado, banned cellphones from classrooms a dozen years ago.
Principal and executive director Shane Voss recalled that at the time, the constant texting and photo-snapping were too much to tolerate.
“It was already a massive distraction before that, in 2010,” he told The Epoch Times. “All of a sudden, everyone’s got a camera in their pocket.”
Prior to the start of the 2012–2013 academic year, Voss asked his faculty if anyone could think of a reason to justify students having phones in the classroom. Not a single hand went up.
With that, the school instituted a policy that required phones to be turned off and placed inside backpacks until the students exited the building at the end of the school day. The principal said he can count the number of total infractions during the policy’s history on one hand.
“The kids were actually yearning for this,” Voss said, adding that students in recent years told him that they enjoy the mornings and afternoons without having to check their messages or social media updates.
“They’re talking to each other,” he said. “They learn from that personal communication and collaboration.”
More than a decade after Mountain’s ban, personal wireless devices and online applications available to children are far more advanced and engaging; distractions aren’t limited to camera flashes and text notifications. Social media sites are increasingly linked to youth addiction, anxiety, depression, and behavioral problems.
On Sept. 23, California Gov. Gavin Newsom signed into law a measure requiring districts to enact their own policies for limiting or prohibiting smartphone use in schools. Similar legislation is pending in East Coast states.
Academic improvement at Mountain, a public charter school that serves grades four to eight, surged after its policy took effect. Voss said state test scores in math, English language arts, and science went from dead last in the Western Slope region of Colorado to first place during the past 12 years. This institution of around 300 students remains a top performer in the state. Voss was named the 2024 Colorado State Charter School Leader of the Year.
