At lunch, Alfredo Torres fanned out his hand of oversized UNO cards.
One by one, the teens on either side of him placed their cards face up on the growing discard pile, nestled among the classmates’ pizza slices and walking tacos.
The game playing out in Warren Central’s east cafeteria was just one example of how things have changed since Indiana enacted a statewide ban of cell phones in school.
The law, which took effect for the first time this school year, prohibits students from using their personal devices during school hours — including during lunch, study hall and passing periods.
Now administrators at Warren Central are getting creative, providing activities for students during those parts of the day outside of the classroom when teens are most likely to reach for their phones.
So far, student reaction to the ban has been mixed. Teens say they’ve been able to focus better during class and feel more social in school hallways.
“I’ve actually made friends a lot faster in these last few weeks than my last year of school,” said Torres, a sophomore at Warren Central.
But, he and his classmates also have concerns about safety and the ability to check in with family, especially if there’s a personal issue at home they’d like to keep up with.
“I feel like it’s kind of degrading,” sophomore Camila Hernendeza-Vega said. “You don’t know what’s going on outside of the school building. It’s kind of dystopian, if you think about it.”
While the policy is new in Indiana, it’s been introduced already in other parts of the country. Studies suggest results are mixed. Teachers say students are more attentive, but understanding the long-term effects may take time.
One early study by the National Bureau of Economic Research found little change in academic performance and school attendance in the first three years of locking away phones in a national sample of schools. However, student wellbeing and discipline incidents improved over time.
For Principal Masimba Taylor, it’s all about clearly communicating expectations and sticking to the plan — even though she might not have chosen the same policy if it were up to her.
“All they heard was, ‘cell phones are a distraction. What can we do?’” Taylor said of state lawmakers.
A school that embraced tech goes without phones
Last school year, students at Warren Central could have their phone out and earbuds in during non-instructional time. Teachers had red and green signs in their classrooms that indicated when cell phones were allowed.
Administrators said teens took to it well. That was before a majority of state lawmakers of both political parties expressed their support for stricter cell phone policies.
Indiana previously had a law that restricted students’ use of cell phones during class time. But, in the spring, Gov. Mike Braun signed into law what’s commonly referred to as a “bell-to-bell” ban.
That means devices, such as cell phones and smartwatches, have to be put away at all times between the start and end of the school day.
The new law applies to “wireless communication devices” — or any personal device capable of connecting to the internet. Students can no longer use their own cell phones, iPads and even AirPods during school hours.
The law has exceptions for students who use personal devices to assist with learning disabilities or language translation. And, students are still allowed to use school-provided devices. Warren Central, for example, gives each of its students a Google Chromebook laptop computer.
But the law, which took effect July 1, was a major shift for the high school which had come to embrace technology.
Last year, students used their phones as calculators during math and science classes. They used them to make purchases at the school bookstore and vending machines. Phones even served as hall passes that could be scanned by staff as students moved throughout the building.
Students in dual credit classes quickly had to find another way to access parts of their coursework kept online. The website they used had required a phone while logging in to verify their identity through a process called dual authentication.
“I wish that the governor had leaned a little more towards, ‘how do we teach them how to use their phones appropriately?’” Taylor said, “versus just going all the way.”
Regardless, the principal said she’s proud of her staff for coming up with a new technology plan and sticking to it.
“When you have a plan,” Taylor said of enforcing the new policy, “It works.”
How Warren Central enforces the ban
When the state law passed, educators were given flexibility to decide how to enforce the policy in their school. But they weren’t given any dedicated funding.
The Indiana Department of Education shared guidance, suggesting that schools could require students to keep phones in lockers, teachers could collect them at the start of the school day, or, districts could invest in secure pouch systems, like Yondr.
The last idea has popped up in some schools in other parts of the state, but has come at a cost. Some schools have spent up to $30 per student for each pouch.
Warren Central opted for backpacks and lockers. The first time a student is seen using their phone in class, an administrator is called to the room to collect it. The student can then pick the device up at the end of the school day.
The second time it happens, a parent has to retrieve the device and the student is given detention. After three times, the student must check their phone in with staff at the beginning of the school day.
Compliance has been high. Warren Central administrators say they have had no more than 19 confiscations in a single day. That’s in a school of more than 3,500 students.
Freshmen have generally done well with the change, Taylor said. That’s most likely because Warren Township has long had stricter phone policies in its elementary and middle schools.
“We as teachers have stepped up,” said Giles Davis, who teaches freshman algebra. “We’ve been challenged to educate and entertain, and now we have to make sure we optimize our time in the classroom.”
Warren Central has reminders of the new policy across its campus — at the front entrance, in the hallways and in the lunchroom. A recorded message plays over the school intercom system during every passing period and at the beginning of each class.
“Thank you for helping us maintain a focused learning environment,” Taylor’s voice plays over the speakers. “Remember to power down so you can power up!”
“It’s like COVID again,” Taylor said, recalling the days of constant reminders about social distancing.
Teens say cell phones should be allowed outside class
While some students say they like that there’s fewer interruptions during class, others question why the devices need to be put away for the entire day.
“I kind of like it. I kind of don’t,” junior Sarai Mwanza said. “In the classroom I agree, but in the hallways, lunch and bathrooms, I don’t think that’s fair… because what are we doing? We’re just heading to class!”
During a lunch period in mid-August, several students could be seen with smartwatches on their wrists or turning to check their phones when they thought no one was watching. Staff most frequently seemed to call students out for AirPods tucked away under hats and hoodies.
Allison Bodine, an assistant principal, says staff generally tend to be more lenient during transition times, giving students warnings first before taking devices away.
Even still, students have found ways to communicate without their phones, Taylor said. Teens first turned to Google Chat, a feature available on their school-issued Chromebooks. After administrators disabled the chat, students began typing messages to each other in Google Docs.
Students are even going analog. Taylor said some of her teachers have confiscated handwritten notes like the old days. And, teens are now bringing in CD and Walkman players. Both are devices that don’t connect to the internet.
“I crack up,” Taylor said, “Kids will always find a creative way.”
It’s been an adjustment for teachers and staff, too. Bodine said adults in the building are trying to model good behavior by using their own devices less. But that hasn’t stopped students from calling them out when they see a teacher with a cell phone.
“If we can’t have our phone out, why should they have their phone out?” junior Kamoni Murphy said. “I get that they’re teachers and stuff but, like, that’s not fair!”
For sophomore Jordyn Shreves, it’s about more than a cell phone. It’s about losing the feeling of trust he felt last year, as a freshman, getting to use his phone in school for the first time.
“It’s like we had freedom,” Shreves said. “And now they’re taking it away.”
Want to keep up with Warren Township schools? Indy Documenters often cover these meetings. 📝 Read their notes.
Mirror Indy, a nonprofit newsroom, is funded through grants and donations from individuals, foundations and organizations. Sign up for our free newsletters.
Mirror Indy reporter Carley Lanich covers early childhood and K-12 education. Contact her at carley.lanich@mirrorindy.org or follow her on X @carleylanich.
Republish our articles for free, online or in print, under a Creative Commons license.
