Now that the 2025 school year has begun, many school districts around the country are implementing phone bans.
Starting last school year, Cinnaminson Middle School banned student cell phone use. So far, it appears the ban is having a positive effect amongst the middle schoolers. Although students have fewer opportunities to get distracted in class, this new policy comes with strife from students.
Many middle school and high school students are attached to their phones for a good majority of their days, so taking phones away may cause some unrest among the students.
Former CMS principal and current ELA department supervisor Kristen Melcher has noticed students’ attachment to their cell phones.
“If you see your phone light up with a notification of some sort, I do think there’s just a very natural curiosity to explore that. If it’s a message, was it a post that somebody made?” Melcher said. “And so I do think, I think whether it’s kids or adults, I think people would be very tempted to check their phone even in a time or space where that may not be the most ideal.”
Most CHS upperclassmen are accustomed to having their phones handy for the majority of the school day, so if phones are taken away, there could be considerable pushback from the students. On the other hand, adopting a ban could improve student focus and create less of a distraction during learning time for both students and teachers. So that begs the question: should CHS adopt a phone ban?
In discussing the potential impact of the proposed change, Assistant Principal Ashley Kalfazade acknowledged that reactions within the school community would likely vary.
“So I think because I’ve heard such positive feedback from other schools, I would imagine it’d be positive here too. I think, though, that obviously the community will have mixed feelings, just like anything else, if we did go in that direction,” Kalfazade said. “I think you’d have people that are going to be upset, and you’d have people that are in support. It’s just like anything else.”
That being said, Cinnaminson High School is already using phone caddies. The caddies provide an easy way for students to put their phones away for class while still having the ability to use them during any downtime in the school day they may have.
So far, the caddies seem to be working well in most classrooms, and their use is embraced by CHS administrators and teachers.
“I always encourage teachers at the beginning of the year to set their expectations,” Melcher said. “So I encourage teachers that if they’re going to do a no-phone policy, to implement it from day one, and that just becomes the norm in the learning space.”
Many teachers are content with the implementation of the caddies, but also do not stray away from using technology in their classrooms. School-issued Chromebooks could be considered a happy medium between students and teachers, so kids can stay online but still focus on school assignments.
English teacher Iris Archer is an advocate for the caddies as she uses them daily in her classroom.
“So we have the phone caddy, I have the students put their phones in that at the beginning of the period. I do use the Chromebooks a lot, but the phones, I don’t use them very often in here,” Archer said.
It’s not likely CHS will be looking at a phone ban any time soon. As of right now, the school will uphold the phone caddy policy in hopes that it will increase productivity and focus amongst students and staff.
