Jackson High School limits classroom cellphone use to enhance education, reduce distractions

Jackson High School has implemented new cellphone procedures for the 2024-25 school year.

Previously, students were allowed to use their phones during downtime in class at each teacher’s discretion. This year, administrators elected to disallow cellphone use in the classroom for both teachers and students.

Principal Roseann Bruns said the decision was made to “increase learning opportunities for students. Additionally, Bruns said allowing students to have phones in some classes and not others required teachers to “fight the phones” in addition to teaching the class.

“They would kind of play the teachers off of each other, ‘Well, we're allowed to use it in these classes, and not this one,’” Bruns said. “It just kind of painted some of those teachers as the bad guys, and we didn't think that that was fair because they're trying to put education at the forefront. … Any downtime is getting pushed back into increasing the learning.”

While usage is not allowed in the classroom, JHS students are allowed to have their phones with them and can use them between classes, during lunch period and during “privilege time.” “Privilege time” is a reward for students who have grades above 80% and aren’t missing assignments, and takes place during students’ bi-weekly advisory period.

“That privilege is for kids that have completely made up all of their stuff and are excelling, so we wanted to reward them with that,” Bruns said.

Initially, Bruns said the feedback she received after visiting with a student leadership group was negative. After school had been in session for a couple of weeks, however, she said they changed their tune.

“They do admit that it is going well because they see that more kids are talking to each other, they are reading more books and things like that in their downtime,” Bruns said. “... Since (cellphone usage) is not an option, we are pushing education, which I love.”

Bruns noted that she would often see students with their phones on their desks or in their laps when she would visit a classroom in previous years. So far this year, she said she’s noticed more students interacting with each other and finishing their assignments, as well as a decrease in drama between students during the school day.

While the new procedures apply to teachers as well, Bruns said there is a little bit more leeway with them.

“They're not really supposed to, but sometimes they do in case we have to get a hold of them,” Bruns said. “Like, if they're a PE teacher or something, they might have to have their phone on them. But normally, no. …

“We've had a teacher even email us when there was a family emergency at home, and they're like, ‘Hey, I just want to let you know if you walk into my classroom and you see me on my phone, it's because of this.’ We work with people, and that's what I've always told students, ‘If you have something going on your parent can call the school and we'll get a message to you.’”

Cape Girardeau Public Schools began implementing YONDR pouches — a lockable pouch designed to eliminate cellphone usage in schools — last year. Bruns said Jackson looked into several solutions to the phone issue, including YONDR pouches, but selected the current procedure instead.

“If they use the YONDR bag, they don't even get them at all during the day,” Bruns said. “We felt like we could start this way and see if it worked, and that'd be great.”