More student engagement thanks to ‘No Cell from Bell to Bell’ policy at Wylie ISD

ABILENE, Texas ( KTAB/KRBC ) – In a classroom at Wylie ISD, you can find students sitting at their desks learning from their teacher, reading, or playing board games. One thing you won’t find is a cell phone.

This school year, Wylie ISD implemented the ‘No Cell From Bell to Bell Policy,’ requiring students to keep their phones in their backpacks from the first bell to the last. Students who take their phones out are disciplined through punishments like lunch detention and in-school suspension.

Stephanie Hood has been a teacher at Wylie ISD for eight years, teaching honors biology and health science theories. She has noticed more student engagement in the last few weeks than she has through the years.

“The past years before the cell phone policy, I was confiscating phones because they were on their desks and, out of habit, would just pick it up and get on it, and I would have to, in the middle of a lecture, to get their phone and take it to the office. So, for the past seven weeks, I have had 150 students and 8 class periods a day. I have not taken up a single phone, and it has been amazing,” explained Hood.

One of the first changes teachers and staff noticed was increased volume in the halls and classrooms.

“It’s a lot louder, but I’ll take that over them with their heads down on their phones, having to dodge students because they aren’t watching where they are going. In the classroom, I look up, and no one is talking to each other. I’ll take the higher volume level over the phones any day,” expressed Hood.

Wylie High School Principal Regan Berry shared that the changes are visible outside of the classroom, too.

“Our school chaplain noticed that there are far fewer students sitting by themselves. Very few, if any, sit by themselves at lunch anymore, and they are all engaged in a group or at least sitting with other students,” said Berry.

The students said it required some adjustment, but now, sophomore Benton Hanner explains that it has become the new normal.

“At first, I was a little bit nervous about it because I use my phone a lot during the school day. I would text people a lot or sometimes get on social media or play games with my friends on my phone. Everyone is pretty adjusted to it now, at least in most of my classes, more focused. I have made a couple of friends because I branched out,” added Hanner.

Principal Berry is proud of Wylie ISD for being one of many schools leading this change nationwide.

“It just became a passion of mine seeing what’s happening to our students and knowing that Wylie High School is going to be part of the change it does. It fills me with a lot of joy and pride in seeing smiles on the student’s faces in those interactions we are shooting for,” added Berry.

Principal Berry shared that they have sent out a survey to teachers to gather feedback over the last six weeks. The teachers noted that student engagement was the most prominent observation in the classroom. Principal Berry plans to continue welcoming this feedback throughout the year.

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