Wylie ISD implements ‘No Cell from Bell to Bell’ policy: phones prohibited in the classroom.

ABILENE, Texas ( KTAB/KRBC ) — For the new school year, Wylie ISD has implemented a new policy prohibiting students from using their cell phones during instructional hours.

They’re calling it ‘No Cell from Bell to Bell,’ meaning that no student is allowed to use their cell phones from the time the first bell rings to start the school day until the last bell to dismiss them. Students’ access to their phones is restricted not only while they are in the classroom but also during lunch and any other intermittent time during the school day.

“We want them put away. We want to create opportunities for students to engage with each other,” said Wylie High School Principal Regan Berry. “To limit distractions, to increase instructional time. There’s tons of research that says that academic achievement skyrockets whenever cell phones are put away, even from our highest achieving students.”

Voices in favor of this new policy were heard at the last Wylie School Board meeting on July 8, when one Wylie parent expressed concerns about issues related to students’ cell phone usage in an open forum.

“Kids having access to their phones all the time, I think, is very detrimental to them from an educational standpoint, from a sociological standpoint, and I think also from a relational standpoint. Something structurally has to be done to create an environment where the kids can focus on learning.”

However, others have outspokenly opposed this new policy change, and Wylie administrators are not ignoring these opinions.

“We have to build some trust with our parents, and we know that. That’s why we’re working to be as transparent as we can be and why we’re taking these steps,” Berry shared.

Some of the issues sighted by concerned parents were the school’s p.a. system not functioning properly this last school year, which caused delayed communication, an inability to make important announcements to the classrooms, and longer pick-up times for parents who were taking their children out of school early. However, Principal Berry said that those past problems are no longer a factor.

“That is not an issue. We passed a large bond to get some of those technological things fixed. The phone systems have been worked on and fixed. We’re getting all new intercom systems, all new bell systems, and those should be up and running and good to go by the start of school,” Berry reassured.

The new policy also comes with new disciplinary actions. Each time a student is caught using a cell phone during instructional hours, the phone will be taken away and returned at the end of the school day. For each offense a student accumulates, more severe punishment will be applied. These punishments will include lunch detentions and escalate to in-school suspension for repeat offenders. The new cell phone policy applies district-wide, including Wylie High School, both middle schools, and any other campus affiliated with Wylie ISD.

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