At the start of the school year, Macomb High School’s (MHS) cell phone policy might have prompted some concerns from parents and students, but nearly seven months later, it has become the norm.
The policy states phones, when inside the school building, must be “powered off and out of sight” from 7 a.m. until 3:05 p.m. After a full semester of the policy being in place, MHS Principal Jimmy Heuer shared that it has had a positive impact on the learning environment.
“Teachers have told me that they’ve seen students more engaged and having better discussions,” Heuer shared.
Chemistry teacher Ethan Kunkel also believes it’s better if students aren’t on their phones as much during the school day. MHS Junior Harold Greene echoed Kunkel’s sentiment.
“A lot of us are addicted to our phones so it’s good that we’re forced to not use them,” Greene said.
Without policies in place like Macomb High’s, a 2019 study by Common Sense Media shows that teens spend approximately seven hours on screens throughout their day. Additional studies, such as a 2025 report from the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, show a host of issues caused by teens’ time on screens. Their likelihood for anxiety, depression and obesity increases as their screen time does.
“Because I’m not able to scroll on my phone when there is downtime during class, I’m talking to my peers more in person, which I think has had a positive effect on my mental health,” Greene added.
While Kunkel and Greene support the policy overall, they both recommend an amendment that would allow students to be on their phones during lunch time. Currently, if students want to be on their phones during lunch, they must go outside of the building to check their devices. They also agree that allowing phones in the building up until 8:05 am, when the first period begins, would be another reasonable change to the policy.
“There may be a little tweak here and there when a committee of parents, teachers, and administration meet to revisit the handbook,” Heuer explained. “But overall it has been a good policy to start with.”
What are the repercussions if students are caught on their phone in the building during school hours? Their phone is given to the office, and the student may pick up their device at the end of the school day. If there are additional cell phone offenses, parents or guardians must come to the office to pick up their student’s device. If students don’t give their device to the adult who caught them, suspensions are issued.
“As part of the policy, parents or guardians carry some responsibility in the process of returning the phone to the student, but parent support has been very good,” the principal pointed out. “In fact, when students are refusing to give up their phones, which would result in a suspension, there have been multiple instances when the parents are telling their students to give up the phone to avoid harsher penalties. While there has been a little resistance from some parents to the policy, there has been less than I expected.”
Senate Bill 2427, which has bipartisan support, is under consideration in Springfield. If the bill passes, it will require school districts in Illinois to have phone policies restricting use during school.
