A pilot project involving a high school cell phone ban suggests there are benefits to digital disconnection.

Olivia Taylor
Kicker
Since the New Year, schools across Newfoundland and Labrador have been adjusting to a new cell phone ban in classrooms. St. Kevin’s High School in Goulds, however, is already seeing results, having implemented a pilot program in September 2024.
“We had a strong feeling that it was going to be put in place eventually anyway,” said Dwayne Hackett, a teacher at St. Kevin’s. “And we were just trying to get a little head start on it, so we implemented it in advance.”
After the COVID-19 pandemic, school administrators all over Canada noted that students were relying on their smart phones more than ever. It was very challenging for teachers to keep students engaged in class, resulting in grades slipping and students not participating as they used to.
It was clear something had to be done. For St. Kevin’s, the decision to try a phone ban was made last spring after careful consideration and an open debate between teachers and school administrators.
The key objection raised by some teachers was the need for cell phone access to support learning. But all St. Kevin’s high school students are provided with their own Chromebooks, so administrators felt access wouldn’t be an issue. Nonetheless, the school policy made accommodations if a student did require their phone for a valid educational purpose. They could use it and promptly store it away once the task was completed.
The policy used at St. Kevin’s was also clearly communicated to teachers, students and their parents or guardians. A series of memos were sent home in May 2024 so that students and parents were aware of the new policy and wouldn’t be surprised in September.
While parents and students were generally supportive of going phone-free at school some backlash was anticipated.
“It wasn’t nearly as bad as we thought it might be,” Hackett commented.
Schools across Canada are embracing phone-free classrooms, but they all approach it differently from a policy perspective. Some schools, like Armbrae Academy in Nova Scotia, have taken a more high-tech approach by using the “Yondr Pouch” – a magnetically locking fabric case used to temporarily secure mobile phones and other wearable devices like AirPods and smart watches that can be equally distracting for students.
As of today, the phone-free policy at St. Kevin’s relies on a traditional honour system. Students maintain possession of their smart phones, but they must be placed in silent mode and kept out of sight. If a teacher discovers a student using a phone, the policy states that it will be taken and returned at the end of the school day.
After nearly five months with the classroom phone ban policy in place the early results are positive.
“It’s like chalk and cheese, not only in terms of in terms of academics where we find grades are up, but in terms of engagement,” Hackett said. “Students are listening, they’re actually paying attention.”
For many students at St. Kevins, the thought of parting with their phones during school hours initially seemed impossible, but they are starting to see unexpected benefits too.
Sydney Ryan, a Grade 12 student at St. Kevin’s, put it this way: “It really fills my heart. It feels like we’re back in elementary school again, like everybody’s just talking and we’re having meaningful conversations.”
Ryan not only sees improvement in her grades but also claims the phone-free policy has improved her attention span as well. Being so used to short-form media content, a break from phones in the classroom helps her maintain her focus.
The first term under the new policy saw 75 per cent of St. Kevin’s students achieving principal’s list status. While school administrators would not directly compare these results to previous years, they do acknowledge the phone-free environment as a key factor in this academic success.
Many other schools across the province will begin to implement similar phone-free classroom policies in 2025. Students and teachers alike might see the early success of the pilot program at St. Kevin’s as an indicator of what’s possible when students disconnect from their devices at school.
Great article Olivia! Well done, students and staff at St. Kevin’s!
Very interesting article, Olivia! Congratulations on having your article featured!