By Aanika Sethi

“What will students do without their phones?”

At the end of the 2023-2024 school year, Collegiate announced a new cell phone policy for the Upper School, where every morning, when they arrived on campus, students would put their phones in a designated place and retrieve their phones at the end of the school day, not using them during school hours.

Previously, the Upper School had a cell phone policy where it was expected that you would put your phone away for class, but students were allowed to have their phone in their backpack for lunches, breaks, and in other spaces. The Collegiate Handbook for the 2023-2024 year stated, “Upper School students may not use cell phones while walking on campus, in any classroom without the teacher’s permission, or in an assembly in the Upper School. If Upper School students need to use their cell phone to make a phone call during the day, they should step outside of a School building to do so.” There was also a Community Chest in the front hall: if you were walking with your phone in the hallway, or misusing it in class, you would have to put your phone in the Community Chest for the rest of the day. Repeated infractions could result in a visit to the Judicial Council. 

Virginia Governor Glenn Youngkin (R). Photo credit: Virginia Guard Public Affairs via Flickr.

In preparation for this change, Collegiate’s administration had been studying the issue for a while, and Head of Upper School Patrick Loach and other administrators researched what other schools were doing to implement the best policy going forward.

In Virginia, Governor Glenn Youngkin (R) has also implemented rulings about making public schools cell phone-free. This includes bell-to-bell policies, where students should not have cell phones from the morning bell to the dismissal bell. As other states also implement new, more restrictive cell phone policies, there have been mixed reactions. Parents are concerned about communicating with their children during an emergency. According to the National Parents Union, 78% of parents want their child to have their cell phones at school in case there is an emergency.

According to some research, notifications and constant updates can contribute to poor student mental health. There is an increase in anxiety and stress for Generation Z students, as well as poor sleeping habits due to cell phones and social media. Evidence on school-wide cellphone bans is mixed, with studies showing academic and mental health improving, but also little to no change in other areas. Comparing ourselves to others and looking for validation are a few negative side effects of social media that research highlights as having poor consequences for students’ mental health.

There has been significant research on the effect of cell phones in the classroom, especially for kids. According to Pew Research, 72% of high school teachers said that cell phones are a major distraction to kids in school, and 58% of high school teachers said that kids have little to no interest in learning. Results of an experiment by psychologist Dr. Melissa Huey and David Giguere showed that “students whose smartphones were physically removed during class had higher levels of course comprehension, lower levels of anxiety, and higher levels of mindfulness than the control group.”

Image credit: Indrajit Das via Wikimedia Commons.

Collegiate Upper Schoolers have mixed opinions on the new rule. James Galgano (‘25) said, “I think it’s irrelevant, because you can do anything on your Apple computer that you can do on your phone.” Sam Beckler (‘25), said that “it took away all the good parts of the phone for school.” Students and teachers alike have had to adapt, as many students used their phones for class activities like audio and video recording, taking photos, and even telling time. However, Claire Lareau (‘25), said, “It has made me use my phone less. I feel more connected to my peers.” Harper Murphy (‘25) said, “I actually don’t care.” Mary Ann Zyglocke (‘25) commented that “cell phones have made the parking lot worse, since we cannot get out before the Middle School lines.” 

For the Middle School, there have been other changes to the cell phone policy. Prior to the 2024-2025 school year, it was expected that Middle Schoolers would leave their cell phone off and in their bag or locker. However, adherence to this rule was inconsistent, which led to a new rule in the 2024-2025 Collegiate Handbook: “If a Middle School student chooses to bring a cell phone or wearable device (i.e. Smart Watches), the cell phone/wearable device must be turned off and stored in a designated location determined by Middle School administration.” This means that Middle School students’ phones stay in a pouch in their Advisor’s classroom during the day. 

Upper School phone pouches. Photo credit: Aanika Sethi.

Freshman Arya Gupta (‘29), who is used to not having her phone in school due to Middle School cell phone policies, said, “I think it’s fine, because in Middle School we didn’t even have it, but I would rather have my phone.” Throughout talking to various Upper School students, I found that students have mixed opinions about the pros and cons of the new policy.

Upper School Associate Director of Student Life Kim Ball said, “From the start, I have been really excited about the cell phone policy.” She spoke on how “cell phones can be super distracting” and the “negative impacts of social media.” She was hesitant at first if students would like the new rule and follow it, but she commented that “students have been amazing at following the rules.” She feels that there are “more conversations going on.” 

Local public schools, such as Henrico County’s J.R. Tucker High School and Deep Run High School, are using similar tactics to stop constant cell phone usage. Prior to the 2024-2025 school year, high school students were allowed to have access to their phone throughout the day. Now, during classroom times, students have to put their phones in a pouch, but during breaks or lunch students can use their phone. 

Collegiate Upper School biology teacher Caroline Riina said, “I appreciate the new cell phone policy. I have seen at a lot of other schools in the news, and cell phone policies have helped their [students’] well-being.” She further commented, “I have not seen increased computer use in my class. I wondered about it, but haven’t seen it.”