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In his 30 years as teacher and administrator, Jason Purcell felt the weight of responsibility that often fell on his shoulders in enforcing the prohibition of cell phones in the classroom.

When Purcell was convinced to come out of retirement this past fall to teach at Mackinaw City High School, he saw a remarkable difference teaching students in a district that had long banned cell phone use during the school day.

鈥淚t makes a world of difference when there is a school wide policy that is enforced by all the teachers consistently and supported by the administration,鈥� said Purcell, who has taught math, been an academic counselor and served as an assistant principal throughout his career. 鈥淪tudents have and always will find ways to be distracted from the learning, but not having cell phones may take away the biggest distraction that students face.鈥�

Mackinaw City Public Schools鈥� cell phone ban was instituted around 2010, coinciding with the rise of teen cell phone ownership, longtime Superintendent Jeffrey Curth said.

Teachers have all taken on the responsibility of enforcing that students鈥� cell phones are left in their locker with the ringer off from 8 a.m. to 3 p.m, Curth said, removing a major source of distractions and potential source of cyber bullying.

鈥淏ecause we鈥檝e just had it in place so long, it鈥檚 just what鈥檚 expected,鈥� Curth said. 鈥淚 think when you see the amount of cyber bullying and things that it鈥檚 raised to the level that it has in society today, I think it鈥檚 just further strengthened our stance that we feel that we鈥檝e done the right thing.鈥�

As the state considers a school cell phone ban that received , an increasing number of Michigan school districts have followed Mackinaw City鈥檚 lead by enacting bans and passing cell phone policies limiting use in the classroom in recent years.

Nationwide, 26 states have passed full bans on cell phone use, while six others have required districts to establish their own policies or limited cell phone use in class, . A 2024 American Association of Educators survey of 1,517 teachers from across the country, on the other hand, found that 70% want cellphones to be banned during the school day.

From passive presence to active participation

Anchor Bay High School student success teacher Jamie Pietron said she was initially apprehensive about how students would adjust to the districtwide ban that started this fall, wondering how the policy would be enforced by administration.

There have been consequences for students who violate the district鈥檚 鈥渁way for the day鈥� cell phone policy, Pietron said, helping contribute to a more connected learning atmosphere.

鈥淚n the past, when kids were done with their work, they went on their phones,鈥� Pietron said. 鈥淭eachers are making lessons and activities more engaging to cover any 鈥榙own time鈥� and students are focused on what they need to do.

鈥溾�� It is amazing to walk through the cafeteria and see kids actually talking, playing cards and having conversations with each other instead of staring at their screens.鈥�

Northville Middle School teacher Richard Tabor said he also has seen a shift from 鈥減assive presence鈥� to active participation in his classroom since the district enacted its cell phone ban in 2024-25 for students in grades K-8 during class time, requiring them to be collected by teachers at the start of the day.

Prior to the ban being in place, Tabor said it was teachers鈥� responsibility to enforce their own policies on student cell phone use, leading to inconsistency in where students were allowed to use cell phones and where they weren鈥檛.

Without the option to scroll during downtime, students are able to engage with the classroom environment,鈥� Tabor said. 鈥淪tudents are more likely to ask questions, take physical notes and participate in discussions because they have no alternative 鈥榚scape鈥� during moments of boredom or difficulty.鈥�

Mackinaw City special education teacher Elizabeth McNeil said her transition from teaching in a district without a cell phone policy to one where a ban has long been in place has been a 鈥渂reath of fresh air鈥� in removing 鈥渄istraction and drama.鈥�

鈥淎t my previous district, there were daily arguments about giving up phones and discipline problems, even when just asking a student to put their phone away,鈥� she said.

鈥淚n a society where adults are addicted to their phones, it is encouraging to see that we are encouraging students here at MCPS to realize that their phones are not part of their lifeline,鈥� McNeil said鈥�

Parental approval

Beyond support from teachers, bans have largely been met with approval from parents, who acknowledge that devices that continually cause them distractions throughout the day shouldn鈥檛 be in the hands of their children during school.

Heather Gatny鈥檚 opinion has evolved on the issue, from trying to hold off on getting her son a cell phone until he is in high school to recently getting him one as an eighth grader for Christmas.

She likes the idea of him having one in his possession, even if it is kept off while he is in class at Plymouth-Canton Community Schools, but stressed that in the classroom it can only cause distractions.

鈥淚f the kids were allowed to have their phones in the classrooms, they鈥檇 be looking at them the whole time,鈥� she said. 鈥淚 think that鈥檚 for the best for them to not have access to it, because they鈥檙e just on apps. They鈥檙e goofing around. They鈥檙e not paying attention to what the teacher is saying. They鈥檙e paying attention to what their friends are texting them.鈥�

With two young children in second and fourth grades at Plymouth-Canton Community Schools, Sarah Krzyzanski said she is for cell phones being stored in a central location in the classroom for those who are concerned about students being able to respond to an emergency.

In the classroom, however, she said schools should be aiming to keep the focus on learning and not conditioning students to be dependent on having a cell phone by their side.

鈥淭hese kids are at the point where they鈥檙e kind of addicted to that 鈥榙ing,鈥� and they get to where they crave it, and it becomes an impulse,鈥� she said. 鈥淚 don鈥檛 believe that a child with a phone on their person has the ability to pay attention to the teacher and actually follow lessons and do it with enough of their brain engaged to be taking that educational content out the way that they should be.鈥�

is part of States Newsroom, a nonprofit news network supported by grants and a coalition of donors as a 501c(3) public charity. Michigan Advance maintains editorial independence. Contact Editor Jon King for questions: [email protected].

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