New Cell Phone Policy Gets a Positive Reception from GR Prep Teachers, Students

A proactive approach was the best course of action to combat perhaps the biggest classroom disruptor for teachers at Grand River Preparatory High School – cell phones.

Teachers and staff had increasingly seen cell phone use as a major deterrent during everyday lessons. The school policy was clear that there should be no phones out during class, but in reality, students are either too sly or persistent in wanting to catch a quick glimpse at their screen or quickly check their text messages.

Things weren’t so bad that teachers felt like they couldn't manage it, but competing with phones for students’ attention and reminding them to put them away, sometimes repeatedly, resulted in fatigue and strains to varying degrees. Teachers also felt it was stunting students academically and socially.

This obviously isn’t a problem unique to Grand River Prep, one that has left teachers around the country seeking strengthened partnerships with students and parents on the topic. For those at Grand River Prep, the solution was a simple one that is steadily gaining traction around the country – remove cell phones from the equation.

“We’re not just wanting to impact student learning outcomes when we’re in school. We think this is also going to enhance their social lives and their social skills,” said Jordan Dischinger-Smedes, environmental studies teacher.

Inspiration and Implementation

Inspired by “The Anxious Generation” by Jonathan Haidt and education writer Dave Stuart Jr., the team at Grand River Prep began talking through the challenges of implementing a building-wide initiative. It wasn’t a big leap of faith to say that learning would improve by taking cell phones out of the classroom, but Dischinger-Smedes thought other potential benefits could come, as well.

“It almost feels to me like a moral imperative now that we help our students have some time away from their phones each day, for their sanity as people, to spend 55 to 85 minutes a day not receiving notifications or not consuming social media content and purely be engaged with talking to each other, doing assignments in class, and being freed from the continual distraction that is owning a cell phone in 2024 for most kids,” he said.

Instead of the burden and cost of putting a phone in an individually locked pouch required at some concerts or comedy shows, students simply place their device in a pocket holder that corresponds to their seat in the class. The policy was piloted over the summer and gave administrators a glimpse of ways students might work around the policy, such as putting a different phone or an empty case in the holder.

Grand River Prep kept parents in the loop with a presentation behind the reasoning for the policy. And if a parent needs to reach their child, they still can call the front office or text them when they have their phones between classes or at lunch.

Checking the pouches adds some time to taking attendance but is a much-preferred alternative to constant disruptions. Because the expectation of having your phone in the holder is cut and dry, there's no room for a gray area or need to issue a reminder if there's a phone out 15 minutes into class.



How it Started and How it’s Going

Both teachers and students have been receptive to the change, as Dischinger-Smedes said there was little if any resistance to the new policy. Along with an increase in the percentage of homework assignments completed, he said he has noticed more conversation and engagement among students. Some have even forgotten to grab their phone on their way out of the classroom, a sign that their full attention was directed at the material.

“They’re not just counting down the seconds until they can grab their phone again,” he said. “A good number of them are also taking it and just putting in their pocket and going on. They’re not taking it out instantly.”

Kurt and Anita Berends’ daughter, Elly, was not thrilled when she heard about the policy, but has come to accept it and has seen the benefits in her performance. Even though her classes are harder than last year, she comes home with less homework, having completed more assignments in the classroom.

Some of that might be attributed to growth and maturity, but removing the constant temptation of reaching for the phone has made a noticeable improvement in academic performance.

“I thought (the policy) was a good step in the right direction,” Kurt Berends said. “Watching it in action thus far would confirm that. The more you promote students to learn to interact face to face with one another in that kind of environment, the better off it is for social, emotional learning development.”

It turns out that the simple solution has turned out to be a high-impact one for Grand River Prep. And that impact just might resonate with students beyond the classroom and into adulthood.

“Our hope is that through more conversations with each other, through less time-consuming social media content each day, they’re going to grow as people and they’re going to have lives that are hopefully a little more intertwined socially with friends, and that they’re going to develop those skills to have face-to-face conversations,” Dischinger-Smedes said.