In-school cellphone debate comes to New Trier

What might a revised cellphone policy for students at New Trier High School look like?

The district wants to answer that question during the upcoming school year and is forming a committee to examine the current policy and recommend any changes to the administration.

Superintendent Dr. Paul Sally discussed the new committee at the School Board’s regular meeting on Monday, July 15, during a presentation of the district’s annual plan for the 2024-2025 school year.

In his memo to the School Board, Sally said the current policy will be “carefully examine(d)” and the committee “will look at research on the positive and negative consequences of students having cellphones in school.”

At the meeting, he added that the committee will be speaking with staff, students and parents and asking a series of questions.

“What should our cellphone policy be?” he asked. “How does that relate to student mental health? And how might we be able to implement something in our school?”

Sally added that the district will “study, we will research, we will look at the benefits and the cost and then we’ll look at, philosophically, where we believe we should land. And then, of course, there’ll be a lot of logistics if we go to something that’s different than what we have.”

New Trier’s strategy comes amid growing concern of cellphone use among students. A recent Pew Research study found 72% of high school teachers say in-school phone usage is a “major problem.” Most students say they use their phones during the school day and the benefits of having a cellphone with them outweigh the negatives, the study shows.

A growing number of states and schools districts have bans on cellphone use in school buildings, according to EducationWeek. Evanston Township High School recently tightened its cellphone usage policy, reports the Evanston RoundTable.

New Trier does have a cellphone policy on the books. According to the high school’s guidebook, students are allowed to use their personal technology devices — including cellphones, laptops and tablets — in school but can only connect to the district’s wireless network. Cellphones are not allowed in classrooms unless given permission by the teacher, but they can be used during “unscheduled time” in hallways, computer labs and libraries.

Additionally, cellphones must be turned off and stored in backpacks during tests, and a visible cellphone, according to the guidebook, is a violation of the district’s Academic Integrity Policy.

Sally said the committee will present its findings by March 2025, with any potential changes being implemented for the 2025-2026 school.

Board member Kimberly Alcantara called the committee “a great example of the administration being responsive to current trends and to parent input and student input.”

“I’m interested to see what comes out of it,” she said.

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