According to a 2024 Pew Research survey, about half of older teens are online "almost constantly," while 38 percent of younger teens report this amount of usage. Cellphones can be tailored for younger children with more parental controls than ever before.
But should they be used in school?
'YOU CAN'T COMPETE WITH TIKTOK'
Overall, 82 percent of K-12 teachers in the U.S. say their school or district has a cellphone policy of some kind, according to the Pew Research Center. However, West Virginia teachers say managing cellphones in the classroom has become an increasing challenge.
Erin Thomas, a Clay County Middle School teacher, has faced similar struggles.
According to Thomas, even when students keep their phones put away, they remain distracted by the anticipation of notifications, an impulse even she struggles with.
Horace Mann Middle School Principal Shandon Tweedy said, "It doesn't matter how dynamic of a teacher you are. You can't compete with TikTok.”
The task of policing students' cellphones also falls on individual teachers. They may keep them in their desk or take them to the office, but Herb Peters, a retired Kanawha County teacher, said, "Teachers don't want the responsibility of holding phones that may be taken accidentally or on purpose by another student."
According to the Pew Research Center, 30 percent of teachers whose schools or districts have cellphone policies say they are very or somewhat difficult to enforce. High school teachers are more likely than their peers to report that enforcing these policies is difficult.
Peters said there's no simple solution. However, Thomas asserted that it's going to take administration, teachers and parents working together to limit cellphone use in schools and hold students accountable.
STATEWIDE POLICY
Officials in West Virginia are taking action. If those actions pass through the Legislature, they will follow eight states, including Ohio and Virginia, that have enacted measures banning or restricting students’ use of cellphones in schools.
According to a Study.com survey of 1,103 middle and high school teachers, instructors showed strong support for stricter mobile phone bans in classrooms. With strict policies in effect, 70 percent of educators reported safer learning environments and 76 percent saw improved student engagement. Additionally, students at these schools lost less learning time each week.
In his State of the State speech on Feb. 12, Gov. Patrick Morrisey called on the Legislature to allow schools to ban cellphones in the classroom and help teachers maintain control of their students. However, he did not outline a specific policy in his speech.
The same day, the West Virginia Board of Education introduced a policy mandating districts create a personal device usage policy. Only a few districts have such a policy, and places like Kanawha County leave it up to individual schools.
If approved, county boards of education would be mandated to establish and implement a device policy next school year that outlines whether personal devices are allowed on school property. If so, they must also outline a storage procedure, such as requiring students to store devices in designated containers or pouches. There must also be punishments listed for students who do not follow the rules.
The state BOE noted exemptions would be made for students with medical needs, Individualized Education Plans and approved work-based learning programs, including students who utilize their phones for diabetic monitoring.
Then, on Feb. 13, Senate Bill 457 was introduced by Sen. Randy Smith, R-Preston, and Sen. Mike Woelfel, D-Cabell, and sent to the Senate Education Committee.
The bill would mandate student cellphones to be placed — with ringers off — in a separate space, like a backpack, purse, locker or collective pouch in the classroom. It also prohibits the use of ear buds and smartwatches for communication during instructional time.
It allows students to use devices between class periods, at their assigned lunch and during non-instructional time. It also offers medical exemptions in compliance with the Americans with Disabilities Act.
"We are glad to see the Board of Education and the Legislature taking steps to address the issue of cellphones in schools," said Drew Galang, Morrisey's deputy press secretary. "Both students and teachers will benefit from distraction-free learning environments."
A SOLUTION OVER YONDR
Some West Virginia schools have already started an initiative limiting cellphone use, using Yondr pouches — locking bags that secure cellphones and other electronic devices — to create phone-free environments.
Horace Mann Middle School began using Yondr pouches in 2022. Monongalia County Schools approved the pouches last August for its middle and high schools.
According to Yondr, schools that use the pouches have experienced the following benefits:
- 83 percent saw an improvement in student engagement
- 74 percent saw an improvement in student behavior
- 65 percent saw an improvement in students' academic performance
Every morning at Horace Mann Middle School, students present their phones and pouches as they enter. The phones remain locked in the pouches for the entire school day and are unlocked by a magnetic device at the end of the school day. If students have their phones out during the day, the devices are taken to the main office.
A similar process occurs at Monongalia County Schools, MCS Superintendent Eddie Campbell said.
"It creates a separation for the student from their cellphone without the cellphone actually leaving the possession of the student," he said. "That's been a critical piece to the success of the pouch."
What if kids get crafty and slip their phones past school administrators?
Meghan Bryson, a Horace Mann Middle School teacher with 15 years of experience, said she feels enforcement is easier with the pouches. Even if a student somehow sneaks their phone in, once Bryson sees it, she can immediately send that student to the office.
Tweedy acknowledged it could happen, but she said she isn’t worried about a few phones making it past the daily protocol because “the whole culture of the school has changed” in the absence of phones.
Bryson agreed, saying she loves the Yondr pouches and the changes she's seen in the student body since implementing them.
"The year after the [COVID] lockdown, the kids would be on iPads all day, including at lunch. When we got the Yondr pouches, the kids had to sit and re-learn how to talk to each other. So I love it, also, as a social thing," Bryson said.
The Yondr pouches have not only benefited school personnel. Tweedy and Campbell reported positive feedback from parents and students.
Armani Beatty, a 13-year-old seventh grader at Horace Mann, said her classmates are more engaged in their work and are more confident academically with their phones locked away. If the pouches were gone, she said, the school environment would be "chaotic."
CONCERNS AND DEBATE
Parents agree students need to pay attention in class. But the divisiveness over cellphone use is more a question of access. When should students carry their phones, and should they be able to use them in their free time?
While 68 percent of U.S. adults say they support a ban on middle and high school students using cellphones during class, only one-third support banning the devices during the entire school day, according to a survey from the Pew Research Center.
Shaniqua Smith, a mother of two former Kanawha students who serves on the Local School Improvement Council for Capital High School and Mary C. Snow Elementary School, said she does not support a total ban on cellphones and feels each school should decide what's best for its students.
"As long as teachers give the expectations to the students, [they] will follow expectations," she said. "There should be some guidelines, but I don't see why they should be completely banned ... we have to take into account they are growing up in a different time."
Sharon Chandler Adams, who has grandchildren in Kanawha County Schools, noted an issue of safety, saying, "I used to think cellphones didn't belong in schools. But after recent events, I believe they're necessary for safety reasons. Older students should be allowed to carry them, while younger ones can keep them in their backpacks."
Careasa Nichols, who has a high schooler in the county, also defended the use of cellphones, crediting her own child's success, in part, to quality parental settings.
Nichols said, "I definitely think in these times, it's outdated to forbid phones — we're too far past that now. They are now our watch, our calculator, our telephone, our camera, our notepad, our encyclopedia and a means of social connections."
WHAT'S NEXT
Many West Virginia districts do not have a formal device usage policy.
For example, Campbell, the Monongalia County Schools superintendent, explained the use of Yondr pouches is not an official policy. Instead, the county's current plan is best described as an "instructional practice" that allows the county board of education to flexibly implement new practices before potentially creating a policy.
Kanawha County Schools also does not have a district-wide personal device or cellphone usage policy; instead, it is left up to individual schools. Superintendent Tom Williams said the district will wait until the state board makes a decision to ensure the policy guidelines will be met.
There's also the issue of cost.
The West Virginia Board of Education policy forecasts no short- or long-term costs to the state or its residents, districts or schools. The bottom line on the proposal was $0. However, if districts must implement a storage solution, that could be expensive.
Some states, like South Carolina, provide funding for phone storage. Their school districts were allotted $2 million in state tax dollars to keep students’ cellphones locked up.
Back in Kanawha City, Horace Mann's initial cost for the Yondr pouches was $6,000 for 450 pouches, which came from funds raised by the school. In Monongalia County, the cost was about $150,000 for 8,000 pouches.
Roane County Superintendent Richard Duncan noted in the district's Feb. 13 school board meeting that whether the state board proposal or the Legislature's bill passes, the school system will need to revisit its own established technology policy to be compliant.
However, he is still advocating for as much local control as possible.
"A lot of us can handle putting together those sorts of policies at a local level without that level of [state] intervention," he said. "It's caused some confusion amongst our school leaders. Who's going to get there first, the Legislature or the Board of Education?"
©2025 The Charleston Gazette (Charleston, W.Va.). Distributed by Tribune Content Agency, LLC.
