Thousands of high schoolers in Lansing are back to school this week and, for the first time in years, without the buzz of their smartphones.
A new policy in the Lansing School District requires high school teachers to collect student phones at the beginning of class. The students can use their phones in between classes and during breaks.
“That classroom space is so important for our students we want to treasure that and make sure we have the undivided attention that's teacher and student,” said Eastern High School principal Marcelle Carruthers.
Although the policy is new this year, Lansing schools have spent the last several years figuring out different ways to reduce scrolling and texting during class. Last year, the district tested the current policy in a group of eighth and ninth grade classrooms.
“We say a big difference,” said Carruthers. “Students were more engaged and grades improved.”
Eventually, officials want to implement what they call an “off and away” cellphone policy district wide.
“Which means they come in, they turn off their phones, put them in their lockers, and that's it,” said Ryan Gilding, Lansing School District communications manager.
The policy was piloted in K-8 classrooms last year and is now being implemented across all elementary grades. Gilding says the district hopes to eventually take the “off and away” approach to the high schools.
For some parents, the cellphone policy is welcomed change. Student parent Bridgette Yoder has always monitored her children’s phone use closely at home.
“I wish it was more strict,” said Yoder. “I kind of feel that way [they should] ban them all together.”
Today, students are spending more time than ever texting, scrolling and being distracted by the constant buzzing in their pockets.
A study by Common Sense Media and the University of Michigan found that kids get hundreds of daily mobile notifications, spending around 43 minutes on their phones during the day. That time is spent mostly on social media, a habit that concerns Yoder.
“Making TikTok videos while they're trying to learn in class or filming another student without their knowledge only to put it on social media to make fun of them,” she said.
Yoder has seen firsthand the effects cyberbullying on young people. She says when her daughter Lola was in middle school, she was made fun of online for not having a cellphone.
“There was lots of bullying,” Yoder said. “She was left out because everybody had a cellphone but her, she was ostracized for it and it was very unfortunate”
Lansing is not the first nor the only school district to implement a smartphone ban in the region. East Lansing High Schools and Detroit Public Schools Community District have implemented similar policies where students are asked to keep their phones away during class.
Yoder says she doesn’t worry about not being able to reach her daughter during the day because she knows she can contact the district if there’s an emergency.
“I trust our teachers. I trust our administrators. I'm not the one sitting in that classroom all day dealing with 30 students being distracted by their phones,” said Yoder.
The new policy permits students who need their phones to manage medical conditions, such as diabetes, to keep them during class time.
