High School Adopts New Cell Phone Policy Enforcement Plan
Disclaimer: English teacher Mr. David Byron does not actually smash student cell phones, though he has a running joke in his classroom that he will if student cell phones are being misused.
For English teacher Mr. David Byron, the high school’s new cell phone policy means the end of the long-running joke about his “phone-smashing” legacy. AJA High School legend claims that Mr. Byron, a staunch enforcer of school cell phone policy, would forcibly destroy any student phone he spotted during class. But with the new policy requiring students to place their phones in designated classroom pouches, Mr. Byron has noticed a sharp decrease in student infractions.
“So far I haven’t had to smash any phones,” he joked, “and I’m a little worried that I’m not going to have to… at all this year.” Despite teacher concern that the new cell phone policy “would be met with a lot of pushback,” Mr. Byron felt that students have adjusted quickly to the change. “I feel like they have accepted this and realized that they don’t need their phones all the time,” he said.
The high school this year cycled out of its “seen or heard” cell phone policy, which allowed students to keep their silenced cell phones in pockets or bookbags as long as they did not take them out during class. Under the new policy, students place their phones in designated pocket compartments hanging on each classroom wall and can pick up their phones in between classes or after tefillah. The consequences for offending the cell phone policy escalated, too. Students no longer get initial small warnings; they now lose access to their phone during the school day for a week, two weeks, and a month for each subsequent infraction. These consequences are intentionally “severe,” according to Mr. Rojek, who hopes that they are a serious “deterrent” for students.
Three years ago, the high school had reinstituted its cell phone policy by strengthening the disciplinary system for phones that were seen or heard during class. That worked initially; an October 2021 issue of Palette reported few offenses to the policy in its first year. Since then, however, its effect faded, prompting Mr. Rojek and other administrators to reconsider the policy this year. “It was very easy to just walk through the hallways during class time,” he recalled, “and to see cell phones in student hands.” He hopes the current policy creates “better, clearer structures and more accountability.”
“This year’s cell phone policy followed the release of research by social psychologist Jonathan Haidt, which links increased smartphone and social media usage to the rise in childhood anxiety and depression.”
The administration’s latest push to limit student cell phone use focuses on promoting overall well-being, not just mitigating the “distraction… from learning” that the administration cited in Palette’s 2021 story. This year’s policy change followed the release of research by social psychologist Jonathan Haidt, whose 2024 book The Anxious Generation links increased smartphone and social media usage to the rise in childhood anxiety and depression.
That research shaped conversations among AJA’s leadership. High School Counselor Dr. Pam Mason attended a conference along with representatives from 50 Jewish day schools in May, hosted by the Jewish Parents Forum, a project of Tikvah for American Jewish parents. The conference discussed Haidt’s findings and steps schools can take in response. “When I came back,” Dr. Mason explained, she and other administrators began asking “what could AJA High School do better?” They landed on stricter enforcement of the cell phone policy, after realizing that “we weren’t being effective in actually policing” it.
The administration has been open to feedback on the cell phone policy so far. Originally, in an effort to stagger the consequences for repeated offenses, students lost their phone for one night upon their first infraction. Several parents didn’t want their students without access to their phones overnight due to safety concerns. Nonetheless, these same parents supported the cell phone policy overall, according to Mr. Rojek. “Listening to that feedback and reflecting on the policy,” Mr. Rojek said the team adjusted the consequences and started with the second offense of confiscation for one week during the school day.
Many students approve of the cell phone policy and its effects on their screen time and focus. Senior Noa Geller said the policy helps her “be in the moment,” so she can “actually focus without reaching for [her] phone.”
Sophomore Ariella Shulman agreed. “I think it’s good to leave your phone for a little bit,” she said. “I am more focused for sure during class.” Ariella added that adjusting to the new policy decreased her screen time outside of class too, making her “more used to not having [her] phone.”
Not all students agree with the positive impacts of the policy. Sophomore Johnny Wilson thinks phones can be used as a positive and convenient classroom tool sometimes, for purposes such as music. The cell phone policy also “just makes me want to go on my phone more out of school,” he said.
Even for those who agree with the policy, students still feel some frustration with its specifics. Noa doesn’t enjoy the inconvenience of remembering to put her phone in the pockets for each class, and junior Noam Glazer described the punishments as “too harsh, too quick.” Although he’s “more productive” without his phone in class, Noam thinks teachers should be able to assess individual circumstances before quickly confiscating a phone. He explained, “There are genuine times when people need to use their phones like calling a parent, checking the schedule, connecting to headphones.”
Parent support of the policy has been strong, according to Dr. Mason and Mr. Rojek. Many parents have even encouraged the high school to go entirely cell phone free. According to Dr. Mason, parent advocacy for a complete cell phone ban began before the school year did, but the administrators chose to allow phones during transition periods and lunch while they continue to listen to feedback from other parents, students, and teachers and monitor the impact of the current policy’s enforcement.
To gather feedback and inform parents about the research behind the policy, AJA High School hosted a roundtable event on September 3. During the event, Dr. Mason shared that parents focused on the question, “Is it more beneficial to take phones away for the whole day so students are completely not distracted?” She elaborated that asking students to transfer their phones between classrooms can trigger unhealthy dopamine hits during transition times, as students instinctively check their phones when picking them up. On the other hand, a more lenient cell phone policy offers students the opportunity “to learn how to manage using a cellphone in school” as a model for real life and a part of the college prep experience.
Jonathan Haidt, along with schools nationwide that implemented full cell phone bans this year, argue that schools “aren’t the place for [practicing]” this kind of cell phone management, added Dr. Mason. However, AJA High School remains open to input on the current policy as it plans for the future. Regardless of the national trend, “It doesn’t necessarily mean that we’ll go along,” Mr. Rojek explained. “We just want to understand it, and we want to engage with it.”
This article contains interviews with High School Counselor Dr. Pam Mason, who is also the author’s mother.
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