Teachers have never had an easy job, but many K-12 educators in the modern day are having a much harder time vying for their students' attention than ever before. The argument is that phones are increasingly becoming a barrier to learning, causing students to pay more attention to their screens than lessons. But is this true? Are phone bans during school hours the simple solution that will fix modern education?

As schools increasingly shift towards removing phones from classrooms entirely, parents and students must understand how these changes affect their rights. Cell phone bans may produce outcomes loved by school administrators, but they open up more avenues for discipline that can negatively impact a promising student's academic future.

The Lento Law Firm is keeping a close eye on the explosion of phone bans on a national scale, and our Student Defense Team can protect the rights of your student accused of violating these novel and often untested policies. Call today at 888-535-3686 or provide details through our confidential online form to get the help you need to safeguard your student's future.

The Push for Cell Phone Bans Across The Country

Cell phone bans aren't a fringe idea taking root in far-off corners of the country. The Los Angeles Unified School District, serving hundreds of thousands of students, recently banned cell phone use, effective January 2025. Among the largest twenty districts in America, roughly 75% have complete or partial bans on the books. Millions of American students are living in a new reality where cell phones are an integral part of daily life, except for the hours they receive an education.

Despite this renewed push for phone bans during school hours, this trend can actually be thought of as a reversion to the mean. At the start of the 2010s, over 90% of schools prohibited nonacademic phone usage. Five years later, that percentage dropped nearly 30% as teachers began using phone applications as part of their curriculums. Only after educators began noticing behavioral and educational issues on a large scale did these prohibitions start returning.

The fact that phone bans became less common during one of the most innovative decades for the mobile phone industry signals that there are some benefits to using phones during school hours. The question today is whether returning to a phone-free world provides a better experience for students and teachers alike. As we can see, many schools seem to believe so.

Why Are These Bans Controversial?

Educators and mental health experts have raised concerns about how constant phone access impacts students' ability to concentrate. In many classrooms, phones are a source of stress, anxiety, and even conflict. Some teachers claim that restricting phone access can help prevent physical fights from erupting on school grounds.

But as with any hot topic, the story has two sides. The coronavirus pandemic highlighted tons of structural issues relating to student technology access, and many school districts relied on the mass adoption of cell phones to ensure students had online access to coursework during remote learning. After the pandemic, some teachers continued to integrate phones into lessons, requiring students to access online resources on their personal devices.

Without considering the educational benefits that bans may erase, there also exist concerns that phone bans will lead to:

• Inequal application of policies unfairly targeting groups of students
• The inability of students to contact family members during emergencies
• Wasted resources spent policing student behavior

Cell phone bans don't have to be overly restrictive; they can allow personal phone use during non-classroom hours, like lunch periods and breaks between classes. However, not all districts take this approach, instead opting to confiscate phones as a blanket policy. If students don't agree to forfeit their devices, these bans can become another way for teachers to accuse students of violating school policies, even if they have a good reason for their personal usage.

Call the Lento Law Firm Today When Your Student Needs Help

It looks like phone bans will soon be arriving in school districts across the country. In Part 2 of this series, our Student Defense Team will outline specific ways schools in America are currently disciplining students due to phone usage and what we can do to help. Call the Lento Law Firm today at 888-535-3686 or contact us through our website to start protecting your student's name when they come under fire from their school.