By Parker Soughers
When students at Benicia High School walked into classrooms to start a new year of learning, they were met with a surprise. In each classroom there were hanging shoe organizers, meant to contain their phones. The high school had implemented a new phone policy in order to limit distractions in the classroom and for the betterment of student mental health.
Phone usage in classrooms has been a growing issue in the past few years. Pew Research Center reports that 72% of high school teachers find cell phones as major distractions in class. “Last year I had a student that would get a text in the middle of the class, and then react dramatically to that text, disrupting everything,” said Charles Greenwood, an 11th and 12th grade English teacher at BHS.
At the end of class, students are able to grab their devices from the pocket of the hanging shoe organizer at the end of class. Between classes and during lunch, students are free to use their phones.
How was the policy created? It all started with the administration’s new 6 rules for success. One of which is “Phone Free for Learning & Mental Health.” During teacher development training before the start of the school year, the issue of how to limit phone usage arose.
In an interview with Principal Brianna Kleinschmidt, she gave some insight on the creation of the policy, saying, “It was done with thought to what we are hearing from teachers about how distracting cell phones are, and how they are truly getting in the way of what teachers are trying to do in class.” She explained, “It really came out of a few years of conversation and concern.”
The policy was not just a decision made by the administration but from the staff, as well, who were expressing their concerns about phone usage. “It became a very hot topic with the staff,” explained Kleinschmidt. Continuing to say, “Out of this organically came the agreement of the staff to try this.”
When designing the policy, one ideal was held central to the creation process: trust in students. “It all needed to rest on positive relationships and trusting students,” said Kleinschmidt. “We could trust student’s to be kind and respectful to this.”
Initially students’ reactions to the policy were mixed. “When it was first implemented, while I was annoyed at the new policy, I also realized why it was necessary and had hoped that it would help,” said an anonymous student. BHS was prepared for large push-back from students, something that never actually occurred. “I was surprised by that—we were ready for people to be upset and to push back,” explained Kleinschmidt.
Currently, the school is nearing the end of the first semester, and the policy is still in effect. Has it been effective in its goals so far? Or has it failed in its goals of increasing student attentiveness. Principal Kleinschmidt gave her response on the matter: “It has been effective in decreasing distractions from what I’m learning from students, parents and from staff.” She continued, “When I walk into classrooms, even if it’s just for a moment, I’m not seeing students on their phones.”
Administration and Teachers have also noticed large improvements in the classroom setting. “I can feel more confident that students are not attempting to cheat using their devices,” said Lee Anne Talbot, a math teacher on campus. Other teachers on campus responded similarly. “There aren’t many interruptions from things happening outside this classroom. They are learning patience with their devices, and that they don’t need to depend on them all the time,” said Greenwood.
“Teachers are seeing a lot of benefits in terms of students doing better in class, and completing assignments more,” Kleinschmidt described. “I’m glad that we trusted students in that way because it has paid off.”
The effectiveness of the policy is clear, but how will it change in the years to come? With the new bill signed into law under Senator Gavin Newsom, all school districts in California must have a phone policy to restrict or eliminate phone usage in schools, by July 2026. “It might force us to be more strict than we are now,” said Kleinschmidt.
Moving forward, students and teachers can expect much of the same. The policy will stay in effect and will remain this way for as long as possible. Even with the implementation of the state legislature, the policy will continue to reflect the ideals it was founded upon: student trust. When the policy eventually changes, Kleinschmidt hopes changes come about the same way the policy was created. “I would really want any future changes to happen the same way, of coming back to the staff,” she said. “It all needs to rest on positive relationships and trusting students.”
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