It affects every classroom in the country and much of the world. How do you keep kids engaged in the lesson when they're so distracted by their phones?
It is summer break for many kids, but their teachers are preparing for significant changes this fall.
I visited one Cleveland school that was already taking action and learned why there's no looking back for them.
"Good morning," smiled Bridget Holloway.
Every morning at George Washington Carver Pre-K through 8th grade STEM School in Cleveland, Holloway greets about 350 students with a warm welcome and takes the cell phones of those who have them.
"They come in and they tell me their number," she explained. "Each student has a number, then, I pull their number and they have to power their phone off. That way, the phone won't be going off while they're in class."
Holloway puts each cellphone into a magnetically locking pouch called a Yondr bag. The students then keep it with them during the day and can decorate it to make it more identifiable as theirs.
This was the first year the school went cellphone-free.
"Was there any pushback in the beginning?" I asked Principal Susan Harvey.
"Absolutely," she said. "Oh, we had kids, especially our middle schoolers, they wanted to sign a petition."
Harvey told me the difference has been night and day.
"It really brought academics to a focus," said Harvey. "It brought up that school is about school.
No more TikToks and fewer fights. Harvey said that the impact has been positive. Not only socially and emotionally for students, but she believes academically too.
"So, we do have a higher test score rating for our ELA right now we know that for sure," said Harvey.
I also talked with teachers.
"What difference did you see in your classroom with no cellphones?" I asked math teacher Shaun Green.
"The engagement of the students is what I noticed most of all," said Green.
He said he believes cell phones are the biggest distraction in the classroom and the biggest hindrance to learning.
Previously, the rule was that you couldn't be on your phone, but Green said it was a constant battle.
"You know, if I'm up here teaching 30 students in my classroom and they pull out the cell phone next to their pocket, I can't see what's going on, and that student just missed everything that I just said," Green said.
Now, he feels he's back to teaching and not policing cell phones.
"I really think it was a game-changer in the classrooms to increase the students' learning and attention span and motivation to learn and focus on the work," said Mr. Green.
And you might be surprised to hear the students like it too.
"I think with the Yondr cases I'm more focused in class," said Maliyah Shaw, who will be going into the 9th grade.
Students like Maliyah agree; they like the change. However, as Principal Harvey said, she didn't at first.
"When they first said you couldn't have your cell phone, what were you thinking," Katie asked Maliyah.
"Oh, this is about to be so boring in school," she said. "It wasn't as boring, though, we were actually focused this year."
She says now she doesn't even think about her phone.
"No, I forget I even have it," said Maliyah. "I put it in my locker and forget it."
Travis Jones tells Katie he was skeptical at first, but now he wouldn't go back to the way it was.
"No," said Travis. "For me, I feel like I got more work done this year than last year."
He received the Principal's Award this year.
"How do you earn the principal's award?" I asked him.
"By showing determination throughout the school year," he said.
When asked about how that made him feel, Travis replied, "Proud."
Carver is one of just a few Cleveland Metropolitan School District buildings that experimented with restrictions on cellphone access.
However, that changes this upcoming school year when all CMSD schools must collect and store students' personal phones and electronic devices.
"These phones are detrimental to learning," said Gov. Mike DeWine at his recent State-of-the-State address. "They are detrimental to our kids' mental health, and they need to be removed from our classrooms in Ohio."
DeWine recently called on the general assembly to enact legislation limiting cellphone use in schools, a step further than a recently signed bill that says every Ohio district must establish an official policy on cell phones by July 2025.
"Parents were very excited," said Harvey.
She said communication now goes through the main office.
Harvey picked Yondr bags to implement their cellphone-free policy. It cost about $4,000 from her student-based budget.
The company's website says it serves a million students daily and has partnered with thousands of schools across 21 countries.
As students head out for the day, they stop by a Yondr bag unlocking station set out just before dismissal. They touch the magnetic lock to the station and have access to their cell phones. They throw their Yondr bags in the bins directly beneath the unlocking stations, which are collected and stored for the next day.
I asked Harvey if she could imagine going back to the way it was before.
"Oh, absolutely not," said Harvey. "Please, don't go back!"
It appears here at Carver, with the phones locked up, the students and staff have unlocked new potential at school.
"I cannot point to any negatives," said Harvey. "The only thing I've seen is positive with the Yondr cases."
Harvey says organization is critical when collecting devices, which she says will be more challenging at bigger schools.
Again, for Cleveland, it'll be up to each principal to determine the best way to work a cellphone collection policy.
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