PBS News Hour

AMNA NAWAZ: As schools nationwide grapple with# how to keep students off their cell phones,## one Connecticut school took a blunt approach.

In Manchester, Illing Middle School banned# all cell phone use, requiring students to## lock phones in a pouch until the end of the# school day.

The backlash from students and some## parents was swift.

Illing even offered to have# administrators unlock a student's phone if needed.

But, within weeks, school staff said that wasn't# even necessary.

This comes as lawmakers in at## least a half-a-dozen states are pushing# their schools to curb cell phone use.

Illing Middle School's assistant# principal, Raymond Dolphin, joins me now.

Welcome, and thanks for joining us.

So tell us a little bit about what the problem was## that you were trying to fix in# the first place.

Why the ban?

RAYMOND DOLPHIN, Assistant Principal, Illing# Middle School: The number one problem was that## the cell phones were interfering with the student# -- the learning of our students in the classrooms.

As we administrators were visiting classrooms,# as well as listening to other teachers,## we would regularly hear or witness# ourselves, when the teacher was## providing instruction, students were# being distracted on their cell phones.

AMNA NAWAZ: So you spearheaded this# move.

And we should note this wasn't## about limiting use during the school day or# giving teachers the power to take phones away## if there are problems.

You basically said# no phones all day, that's it, lock it away.

Why that approach?

RAYMOND DOLPHIN: We, as an administrative team,.. we found is that, for even adults, it's really# difficult for them to manage their cell phone use.

And, for students, it's even that much# more challenging, just, as age-appropriate,## for them to struggle even more so.

To just# tell them it's effective to use your phone## at this time and not that time, students weren't# able to handle that.

Any time their phone would## vibrate or an alert would come off or just# throughout the day because they were curious## about a friend's response, they would be -- they# would find themselves looking on their cell phone.

AMNA NAWAZ: What kind of reaction did# you get from students and from parents?

RAYMOND DOLPHIN: So, initially, of course,# our students, they had major resistance.## They thought it was -- they were a lot# -- a lot of them were very, very fearful.

What does it seem -- what does it look# like for me not to have access to my phone,## when this device is something that, for some# students, they would sleep with?

And so it was## a lot of fear there, a lot of frustration.

But# they soon adapted to it and responded very well.

For the majority of our parents, we have# a philosophy out here in Manchester Public## School where we don't just do things to our# community, we do them with them.

And so we## have already sent out surveys and asked a lot of# parents if they were on board and also thought## that there was something that we needed to do.# And they signed up on it as well overwhelmingly.

And so that just left a small minority of## parents that we had to kind of coach# through the process of resistance.

AMNA NAWAZ: There is an expectation, as I'm# sure you have seen in your school community too,## among some parents that they want to be able# to reach their kids during the school day.

They## want their kids to be able to reach them in an# emergency or for support or a similar situation.

Did you see any of that?

And how# do you respond to those concerns?

RAYMOND DOLPHIN: Those concerns are legitimate,# but we already have solutions already built in.

Every single classroom that we have# in this building has at least one## phone in it, and most of them have two phones.

So,## if something comes up where a student# actually needs to reach their parent,## they can just simply ask for permission, and# they have the opportunity to call their parent.

If the parent wants to reach their student, they# can call the main office and we can get messages## to them.

So you have access to your students.# And the only change is that that immediate,## like this-second reaction to send a text# or send multiple texts is no longer there.

So, families do have to be a little bit more# planned, but that opportunity still exists.

AMNA NAWAZ: Can I ask, just out of# curiosity, the phones in the classrooms,## those are probably landlines.

Is this the first# time some of your kids have had to use a landline?

RAYMOND DOLPHIN: Yes.

(LAUGHTER) RAYMOND DOLPHIN: Yes.

It's# funny that you brought that up,## because we adults were remarking about# that.. just at how many students were# asking us, how do I use this phone?

(LAUGHTER) RAYMOND DOLPHIN: And so we were floored at that.

But there was a lot of students# who had that question, yes.

AMNA NAWAZ: As you know, when you take a look at# the broader picture, the statistics are clear.## The National Center for Education Statistics# found, in 2020, there were already cell phone## bans in place in 76 percent of U.S. schools,# but then another survey found some 97 percent of## students who have cell phones are still using them# during the school day for about 45 minutes or so.

So what is your advice for schools# who want to try to enforce bans,## take cell phones out of the classrooms,# but don't know how to do that?

RAYMOND DOLPHIN: Sure.

So that statistic doesn't surprise me.

That#.. similar.

My advice to everyone is to not treat# the Yondr pouches as the magic solution.

It's## one tool that is a major part of your# overall strategy to solve this problem.

You need to elicit support from parents.

You# need to ensure that, like your school community,## your teacher support staff and administration# are all on the same page, and consistency,## consistency, consistency is# the most important thing.

AMNA NAWAZ: All right, that is Illing# Middle School's assistant principal,## Raymond Dolphin, from Manchester,# Connecticut, joining us today.

Assistant Principal Dolphin,# thank you.

Appreciate your time.

RAYMOND DOLPHIN: Thank you very much.