Debate over cell phone use in Michigan schools rages on ahead of new school year

As we head into a new school year, more states across the country and individual schools are implementing cell phone bans.

As of this spring, Ohio, Indiana, and Florida have banned cell phones in the classroom, and now here at home, individual schools are discussing their policies as well.

"Believe it or not, about 6 years ago when I was visiting a classroom, I walked in and students were actually on their phones, talking on their phones," said Amy Kruppe, superintended of Hazel Park Schools.

In her 10 years as superintendent, Kruppe has watched as students' relationships with their cell phones evolved.

"We were much freer in the first part of the time when I came to the Hazel Park community, allowed them as more learning tools and items inside the classroom, but I think what we found over time is that changes a little bit," she said.

Kruppe tells me that a growing addiction to the technology has made it more difficult for students to focus and learn, so the district has had to get stricter with their rules.

"At the elementary, we cannot have cell phones at all, at the junior high, they have them, they need to be put away, out of sight. Sometimes as a special reward, they might open up lunch time ... at the high school, students can walk between classes and have their phones out, they can have them at lunch, but they may not use them during the classroom time — which is a differentiation from the way it was a few years ago," she said.

Other local schools have adjusted their policies as well.

At East Lansing High School, phones are banned in classrooms, or in campus common spaces during instructional time.

Detroit Public Schools Community District requires students to keep phones out of reach during instructional time.

Dearborn City School District policies are dependent on the grade level. High school students can have their phones, but they must be off during school hours — some individual schools allow them on during lunch.

Plymouth-Canton Community Schools only allow high schoolers to use their phones before and after school, or during lunch.

"I know I’ve heard from even some students the difference inside the classroom from not having those phone as a distraction, I think it’s important," said Kruppe.

Clearly there are as many cell phone policies as there are schools out there, and just like how each school has their own specific policy, each family has their own opinion.

"He’s like full throttle during the summer, my husband and I were just having the conversation, I was telling him ‘you know, you’re about to get weened off of that phone, right?’ said Nicole Anderson, whose son attends West Bloomfield Middle School.

Cam Anderson is going into 8th grade at West Bloomfield Middle School where he says their cell phones are not allowed to be out during class. He and his mom, Nicole, tell me they’re fine with that, as long as he can keep it on him.

"The times that we are living in right now, like they had a lock down towards the end of the school year last year and he and I had to communicate via his cell phone. So if there is a crisis, I want to know what is going on, because I couldn’t call into the school, so that was the only way we could communicate," said Nicole Anderson.

Cam said, "I just didn’t know what to do, so I just went in the corner hiding and got my phone out, I called my mom, my dad, my sisters." He said he was grateful he had his cell phone.

Growing research does highlight the negative effects of having cell phones in class.

A Central Michigan University study found that for students between seventh and twelfth grade — learning increased when smartphone use decreased.

Data from the National Center for Education Statistics — published in 2024 — shows that 76% of all public schools prohibit non-academic use of cell phones during school hours.

The data suggests the restriction of cell phones is necessary to keep cyber-bullying and drug use down.

I asked Nicole, "what do you think about completely banning cell phones from being in schools?"

"I don’t agree ... the times that we are living in right now, I think sometimes they need phones. After school is definitely needed," said Nicole Anderson.

Kruppe said, "I understand though, there is some trepidation from families and parents that they want those phones for their children to be safe, and our daughter too ... however, we need to trust our schools and the people inside them that we have good plans in place to keep our kids safe."

Now at this point in time, Michigan has never issued a statewide policy when it comes to cell phones, but one thing we do know for sure — they're not going anywhere.