(NewsNation) — A middle school in Minnesota has banned the student use of cellphones during the school day. Patrick Smith, principal of Maple Grove Middle School, said the policy has made a huge difference.
“They’re smiling. They’re happy. They’re engaging with each other in the hallways,” Smith told “On Balance” host Leland Vittert.
The crackdown on cellphones started last year. The policy prohibits Maple Grove Middle School students from using their cellphone from 8:10 a.m. to 2:40 p.m.
“We just noticed that the culture and climate was pretty negative, and a lot of it stemmed from what we felt was social media drama, concerns, creating conflict,” Smith said. “So, we knew we needed to do something.”
After discussions with other officials, Smith said they decided to try something new and focus on enforcing the cellphone policy already in place.
“After a lot of dialogue with parents — because we want buy-in and the reason why this is working is because we have buy-in and support from our families and staff — So, we do allow them (students) to have phones on them, but they just cannot be seen from 8:10 to 2:40. It’s working.”
The middle school does not allow flexibility on the no-phone policy.
“We don’t allow any for any reason. If we see the phone, we take it. There are no questions asked,” Smith told Vittert.
If a teacher or administrator sees a phone in a student’s hand, they take the phone. If it’s the first time a phone’s being confiscated, the student is allowed to pick it up at the end of the school day. The second time, parents are notified and the student gets their phone back at the end of the day. The third time a student is caught, a parent or guardian must pick up the phone themselves.
Smith thinks there’s a correlation between less access to social media and improved student behavior.
“We do see a huge, huge difference in the way students are connecting with each other,” Smith said, later adding: “Just a short two years ago, they spent more time just looking down at their phones every moment that they could, and so it has become the culture of our building, and again, the kids seem happy.”
And Smith hopes the rule will leave a long-term, positive impact on the students. According to a recent poll, the average U.S. teen spends nearly five hours a day on social media.
