Lunchtime at Frederick H. Tuttle Middle School in South Burlington, Vermont, looks a lot like it does at many other schools. Kids sit at big round tables with trays of food and lunch bags scattered in front of them. Sounds of chatter and laughter fill the air.
But if you look a little closer, you’ll notice that there is something different here, something missing.
Cell phones.
At Frederick Tuttle, you won’t find kids scrolling or sending Snaps during lunch—or at any other time.
That’s because this year, the school banned phones. Students now put their devices into a locked box at the start of the day and don’t get them back until dismissal.
Why? Teachers and administrators at the school felt like phones were disrupting teaching and learning. And they’re not alone. Across the country, a growing number of schools are implementing phone bans. Several states, including South Carolina and Indiana, have even passed laws that require schools to limit students’ phone use. More may follow.
Is this a good idea?
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Student View
Art by RJ Matson
Do Phones Belong in School?
Across the country, more and more schools are setting strict rules about phone use. Will they help—or hurt—students?
By Anna Starecheski | Art by RJ Matson
From the February 2025 Issue
Learning Objective: to read and analyze a text that presents arguments on both sides of a debate, then take a stand
Hard to Focus
One of the main reasons schools have started banning phones is because they’re distracting. According to a Common Sense Media study, 97 percent of 11- to 17-year-olds with phones use them in school, often during class. Experts say that scrolling in class divides your brain’s attention, making it difficult to concentrate. It’s impossible to fully focus on an algebra problem, for example, if you’re constantly checking for texts or DMs.
But what if you don’t pull out your phone in class? Turns out, our phones can still distract us even when they’re stashed away. A 2017 study* suggests that just having your phone nearby might make it harder to learn and perform well on tests.
What’s more, disciplining students who are on their phones can disrupt class. “Not having to manage student phone use has allowed teachers to spend more time teaching,” says Frederick Tuttle’s principal, Suzanne Gruendling.
A Safety Issue
Not everyone is supportive of phone bans, however. Some people worry that taking phones away could make life more complicated for caregivers. What if soccer practice gets canceled and you need to let someone know? Having to wait until the end of the day to send updates can make planning difficult for busy families.
Others feel that phone bans create a safety issue. Without phones, how would students get in touch with their families during an emergency? Or call for help if they need it?
Schools with bans, however, say that most of these concerns can be addressed by communicating the old-fashioned way. Most schools have a landline phone that students can use.
Others feel that phone bans create a safety issue. Without phones, how would students get in touch with their families during an emergency? Or call for help if they need it?
Schools with bans, however, say that most of these concerns can be addressed by communicating the old-fashioned way. Most schools have a landline phone that students can use.
More Connected
There’s another reason not everyone supports banning phones. Some feel taking away phones is not a realistic solution given how important these devices have become.
“Phones are central to how we explore, experience, and communicate in the world,” says Dr.Heidi Schumacher, a pediatrician and an expert on school health policies.
Schumacher argues that it would be more helpful to teach kids to use phones responsibly than to ban them. After all, once you’re an adult, there won’t be anyone regulating how and when you use your phone.
Plus, some teachers find phones to be useful learning tools. Students can use them to take notes and complete assignments, like creating podcasts or videos.
Then again, school is about more than just academics. It’s about making friends and socializing too. And many believe taking phones away can help with those things.
Cashel Higgins, 16, goes to Harwood Union High School in Moretown, Vermont, which recently banned phones. He says he now notices kids talking and laughing with each other instead of texting and scrolling all the time.
“Some kids thought they’d feel less connected without phones,” he says. “But actually, we all feel more connected now.”
There’s been positive feedback at Frederick Tuttle too.
“I like the new policy,” says Cole Swanson, a sixth-grade student at the school. “Phones are a massive distraction.”
Do you agree?
*Journal of the Association for Consumer Research, April 2017
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This article was originally published in the February 2025 issue.
Audio
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Activities
(7)
Preparing to Read
Reading and Discussing
Reference
Skill-Building Activities
Answer Key
(1)
Audio
()
Activities
(7)
Preparing to Read
Reading and Discussing
Reference
Skill-Building Activities
Answer Key
(1)
Step-by-Step Lesson Plan
Close Reading, Critical Thinking, Skill Building
1. Prepare to Read
(5 minutes)
Preview Vocabulary (5 minutes)
Project the Google Slides version of Vocabulary: Definitions and Practice on your whiteboard. Review the definitions and complete the activity as a class. Highlighted words: implementing, landline, regulating. Audio pronunciations of the words and a read-aloud of the definitions are embedded on the slides. Optionally, print the PDF version or share the slideshow link directly to your LMS and have students preview the words and complete the activity independently before class.
2. Read and Discuss
(45 minutes)
Read the article once as a class. Optionally, for students’ first read, have them follow along as they listen to the audio read-aloud, located in the Resources tab in Teacher View and at the top of the story page in Student View. Then have students silently reread the article to themselves.
Have students fill in the “Yes/No” chart in their magazines based on the details they identified in the text. Sample responses:
YES:
Phones make it more difficult for students to focus on learning.
Teachers will spend less time managing phone usage and more time teaching.
Students will engage with their peers and teachers more, instead of texting and scrolling.
Students at schools where phones are banned have said they feel less distracted and more connected without phones.
NO:
Kids need their phones in an emergency. (Answer provided.)
Phones can be used as valuable educational resources for note taking and completing assignments.
Kids need to learn to use their phones more responsibly because no one regulates your phone usage when you become an adult.
It could cause communication issues and scheduling conflicts for families.
Discuss: Which supporting details do you think are the strongest? The weakest? Do you think the writer shows bias—that is, a preference for one side of the debate or the other? Explain and support your answer with text evidence.
3. Write About It: What Do You Think?
(45 minutes)
Have students work individually to complete the Essay Kit, a guided writing activity and outline that will help them write their own argument essay in response to this question:
Should phones be banned from schools?
Students can use the Transitions and Argument Essay Checklist anchor charts and the Argument Writing Rubric to help them edit and evaluate their essays.
Text-to-Speech