CASSOPOLIS, Mich. (WSBT) — A bill in the Michigan legislature right now would require schools to implement a policy on cell phones.
Many districts already restrict cell phone usage in the classroom, including Coloma Community School District and Cassopolis Public Schools.
Cassopolis
During passing period at Ross Beatty High School, you are bound to spot students checking their cell phones.
The 5-minute block of time between class is one of a few times during the school day when high school students are allowed to send text messages, make calls, or check Instagram.
When students head back to class, their cell phones are not allowed to go with them.
“A gentle reminder sometimes is just what they need,” says principal Lindsay Gorham.
Gorham walks the halls and makes announcements over the intercom reminding students to keep their phones in their lockers during class.
Cassopolis Public Schools kicked off a new cell phone policy this school year.
Gorham says the district pushed out the information to parents in the summer letting them know the new cell phone expectations and consequences.
“There is no electronics allowed — so no electronic devices, meaning AirPods, iPads, cell phones, nothing is allowed in class,” says Gorham. “They can check their phones at break time, so they have a five minute break every 50 minutes, and then they can have them at lunch time and before and after school.”
The official 2024-25 Cassopolis Public Schools Student Handbook now says, “Students may NOT use personal communication devices (PCDs) during the school day unless directed by staff. If a student violates this policy, a staff member may take the device until the end of the school day. Subsequent offenses may require the parent to come and pick up the device.”
Gorham says if a student is caught with a cell phone in the classroom, a teacher can take the device away.
“We take it to the office. We have a spreadsheet. On the first offense, they just lose it for the rest of the day, and then they can come get it at the end of the day,” says Gorham.
On the second offense, a parent will have to come get the phone from the school.
“On the third offense, then they lose it for the entire week. Like it has to be checked in at the office. And then, on the fourth offense, they lose it for the entire year,” she says.
So far, Gorham says, there have been no fourth offenses.
Gorham says parents have been mostly supportive.
“Teachers are noticing the focus in the classrooms. I’m noticing actually a little bit on the behavior side,” she says. “We’re not like the electronic police. We trust that they are doing what they’re supposed to be doing and for the most part, most kids have been.”
Coloma
“I’ve had a phone since probably my seventh grade here,” admits Coloma High School Senior Carson Ashley.
Ashley saw the impacts cell phones were having.
“Last year there would be kids on their phones, even cheating or just not listening to the teacher. If we have schoolwork to do, they were not going to do their schoolwork, they were just going to let it be missing because they would rather be on the phone than care about their schoolwork,” says Ashley.
Ashley admits that at first he was against a classroom cell phone ban, especially since he gets good grades and is a committed student.
“But now it’s given me the opportunity to see, I’m not looking at my phone nearly as much as I was. And so, as much as I disagreed with it at one point, I think it was better for me later on,” he says.
Coloma Community School District implemented a new policy this school year.
The 2024-25 High School Student Handbook policy on Electronic Communication Devices says “during the school day from the opening (morning) bell to the closing (afternoon bell, students are expected to store their devices (cell phones, smart watches, or non-school issued personal devices) in their lockers unless otherwise specified.”
The handbook says students can use their devices during passing time at their locker and during lunch.
It makes clear, “students may not possess or use their cell phone or personal electronic devices during instructional time in the classroom setting.”
The 2024-25 Junior High Student Handbook policy on Electronic Communication Devices says, “students will no longer be permitted to carry or use cell phones during instructional time. Students will be allowed to use devices during lunch and passing times only. Cell phones are to remain in the student’s locker during all instructional time.”
“So this year, no phones are allowed in the classroom at all,” explains Junior Taylor Truman.
Truman says last year she noticed some students sneaking to check their phone during class.
She also admits that phone notifications whether from her mom or from snapchat could be distracting.
Truman says the change has been good for her and for her friends.
“I notice I’m doing my work in class instead of having to do more outside of class. So it’s helped me a lot,” she says.
Coloma Superintendent Dave Ehlers says without cell phones in the classroom, students are more engaged and better behaved.
“My junior high principal and high school principal came to me and we had a discussion and I said, ‘What do you want to do with this? It is becoming an issue,’” says Ehlers.
Ehlers was the high school principal in Coloma for years before he became superintendent.
He recalls how technology has changed over time.
“When you could start texting, it became a big problem because everybody thought they could do that without getting caught,” says Ehlers.
Now, he says it is time for the district’s rules to reflect the modern use of cell phones and the ways in which they impact children and teens.
“There’s no reason to have them in the classroom,” says Ehlers. “It is just better for everybody to leave them in their lockers.”
Legislation
Republican State Representative Mark Tisdel has sponsored House Bill 4141, which would require schools to implement a policy on cell phones.
“It is relatively simple and gives school districts the ability to have a minimum baseline and build upon that,” says Tisdel.
Tisdel’s legislation would require school districts to implement a policy prohibiting students in Kindergarten through 5th grade from having a wireless communications device on school grounds and 6th through 8th grade students from “using” a wireless communications device throughout the school day.
HB 4141 would also require schools to prohibit students in grades 9 through 12 from using a device during instruction time.
In her 7th state of the state address last month, Governor Gretchen Whitmer called for bipartisan legislation to limit the use of phones in class.
“We’ve seen encouraging data about how commonsense restrictions on phone use during class leads to move learning and less bullying. Kids listen, raise their hands, and make more friends. They talk during field trips. Three-quarters say they feel happy or peaceful without their phone. That is what school should be about,” the Governor said to a joint session of the Michigan House of Representatives and the Michigan Senate.
“This isn’t a question open for debate – the disruption and the distraction of smart devices during instruction time is harmful,” says Tisdel.
It is unclear whether a new law will change anything in Coloma or Cassopolis, but school leaders at both districts say their new rules are proving disconnecting students while in the classroom is keeping them more connected during class.
“So the teachers have noticed that students are much more focused and able to get things accomplished in class, which is super. That’s great. That’s what our goal was,” says Gorham.
