When Texas schools returned this fall, students found something missing — their phones. House Bill 1481, requiring public school districts to implement a ban on “personal communication devices,” was signed into law 5 months ago by Gov. Greg Abbott. Now, cell phones being banned has become the new normal, and several aspects of school life have shifted — from lunchtime habits to how teachers and students communicate.
“I didn’t want to police the phones,” Principal Kerri Finnesand said, “but I do think your generation has really disconnected from the relationship between people. Our lunchrooms are louder — which, yay. That means you’re talking and playing games with each other.”
At lunch, students trade their backpacks for a board game, and at the end of the period, they trade back. This new routine, encouraged by admin, has turned once-quiet tables into spaces filled with laughter. Decks of cards, Uno packs, and small board games have taken the place of phones.
“It’s definitely fun,” junior Lucy Heilman said, “At the beginning of the year my friends and I went to Target and got different card games, but I still feel like it’s inconvenient.”
However, the change has not come without challenges, many students text their friends and parents during lunch, listen to music in the hallways, and review flashcards online before quizzes. Unfortunately, this year schools are mandated to have some kind of discipline infraction in place. According to the bill each district must “prohibit the use of personal communication devices during instructional time” and establish clear consequences for violations.
“Our discipline on this campus is not insane… generally it’s tardies and dress code, phones are up there because kids will just try to get on them,” Finnesand said. “Please don’t make me take it. I have to take it if I see it, but I don’t want to call security to come to the classroom and get your phone.”
Teachers have also had to adjust to this new policy, and work around it. This can make once easy communication a chore.
“We QR code everything,” Finnesand explained. “Now we’re having to use TinyURL for some things, like scheduling appointments with counselors. It’s a mind shift for everyone.”
Despite these logistical setbacks, teachers and admin try to lead by example.
“If I’m in the Rotunda, I try to model it,” Finnesand said. “The law is not for me, but I still feel like sometimes we can model that a little bit for you guys.”
The new rules have also reignited concerns about academic integrity. With cheating gradually becoming more of an issue,
“Last year, we used pocket charts so we could visually see every phone in the room,” she said. “This year, you can’t even have them, so teachers have to do a better job of watching during assessments.”
The school has taken stronger action against cheating, removing students from leadership positions and organizations if caught.In some cases, the new restrictions have made things harder for staff.
“We said this is actually a step back for us because we could visually see [the phones],” Finnesand said. “If a kid gave us a burner phone, they went to ISS. We just weren’t even messing with that.”
One concern that many parents and students have had is safety. If there was a threat on campus, many want the option of being able to contact their parents and are worried about hwo the phone policy will shape that. Surprisingly, this is actually an area where the policy has a benefit. Three years ago, there was a suspected threat that locked down both the high school and the junior high. Many students texted their parents, and naturally, concerned parents headed to the school.
“I had probably 100 parents sitting up here, but during emergencies, we’re supposed to have phones silenced and turned off anyway,” Finnesand said. “This law will actually help us ensure that.”
The district also uses an app-based system to alert staff in case of emergencies. It helps admin manage lockdowns and keeps classrooms quiet and as safe as possible.
In regards to the safety concerns, many expected backlash from parents regarding the phone bill, but support has been stronger than anticipated.
“I thought there would be way more pushback,” Finnesand said. “It’s actually been more support than anything.”
Still, the adjustment is difficult. “We’re all addicted,” she said. “It almost makes us retrain ourselves a little bit, which is good for our brain.”
