Cell Phone-Free School Day for Student Achievement and Well-being

Tanya Ortiz Franklin serves LA Unified’s Board District 7, representing 175 schools encompassing the diverse communities of Florence-Firestone, South LA, Watts, Gardena, Carson, Lomita, Harbor City, Wilmington and San Pedro. A former student, teacher, and advocate in LAUSD, Tanya earned degrees from Columbia, Loyola Marymount University, and UCLA School of Law. Elected in 2020, she champions equitable education policies to ensure students are ready for college, career, and life.

During lunchtime, passing periods or even during class time, students are constantly on their cell phones, missing out on crucial opportunities to be fully present in their school day, learn something new, and interact with each other IRL (“in real life”). My colleagues and I determined that this should no longer be the case in the second-largest school district in the nation. As the elected school board member representing South Los Angeles and the L. A. Harbor Area where students have historically been marginalized and underserved, it’s particularly important to me that we get this right to help close academic and opportunity gaps.

I was proud to co-sponsor the Board of Education’s resolution, authored by my colleague Nick Melvoin, “Supporting Student Mental Health and Learning by Ensuring a Phone-Free School Day” which gave direction to our Superintendent for this massive change. One year ahead of the state, the Los Angeles Unified School District (LAUSD) is currently refining plans to implement a cell phone-free school day to improve student achievement and well-being for the nearly half a million students on our K-12 campuses. By July 2026, all 1,000 school districts in California will be required to adopt a policy limiting the use of smartphones on school campuses, under the Phone-Free School Act, Assembly Bill 3216. LAUSD serves as a leader and model for others across the state – or perhaps the globe – as they develop their approach to cell phone-free days.

Why are we going phone-free?

As educators, we’ve all witnessed the impact of smartphones on students’ ability to concentrate, connect with peers, and fully engage in their education. Research shows that minimizing cell phone access can increase students’ focus, improve test scores and foster a more inclusive and engaging classroom environment. A May 2015 study by the London School of Economics and Political Science, concluded that “schools could significantly reduce the education achievement gap by prohibiting mobile phone use in schools.”¹ Social media, in particular, has been linked to higher levels of anxiety and stress among teens, making it essential for schools to create boundaries that prioritize healthier, in-person interactions.

Nearly 50 of over 750 K-12 campuses in LAUSD have proactively started phone-free days and their efforts are already making a positive impact. At the November 2024, Board of Education’s Committee of the Whole meeting, Principal Darvina Bradley of Dymally High School reported fewer negative incidents involving social media over the past three years of implementation.

Principal Kim D’Aloiso of Holmes Middle School, who has implemented a cell phone-free policy for nine years, reflected on an increase in student engagement with one another.

In addition to the social-emotional gains we’re hoping to achieve with a phone-free school day, we are also looking forward to academic gains. In my Board District, Gardena High School piloted the use of pouches to block cell phone usage during math classes in the 2023-24 school year. They received promising results: students moved on average 36.7 points closer to standard on the Smarter Balanced Assessment in math that year.

During Board District 7 focus group discussions at Gardena High School, students shared that while they used to rely heavily on their phones, not being able to access them during school hours has led to positive changes. They’ve noticed improvements in their academic performances and have found more opportunities to engage with their peers face-to -face. Staff have shared their students are more social and engaged during class time as well.

What does implementation look like?

Since 2011, the Los Angeles Unified School District’s “Use of Cellular Telephones and Other Electronics Devices by Students Policy”² has prohibited the use of cell phones on campus during instructional time, normal school hours, or school activities. At some LAUSD schools, the policy is simply to keep phones in backpacks all day. If a students’ phone is seen out during the day, after an initial warning, staff can take possession of the phone and return it at the end of the school day to parents. This will likely be how the new policy will be implemented in the nearly 400 elementary schools in LAUSD.

At middle and high schools, the implementation has and will need to be more stringent as the temptation and usage is much higher than for elementary students. For most secondary schools, students put their phone in their pouches then use the locking devices stationed around campus to “lock” their phones for the day. After the end of school bell rings, the students return to the devices to unlock their phone before leaving school. If a student leaves early or misses the locking and unlocking station, they are instructed to go to the main office to use the device.

Our approach will not be one-size-fits-all. Our school communities will determine how they want to implement the policy. We are setting aside funding for up to the most costly option for each school so they can use the method that works for them. Unfunded mandates are rarely a smooth recipe for success, so it is crucial to consider budgeting when making these decisions.

What are we learning?

At King-Drew Senior High Medicine and Science Magnet, where 95% of students enroll in college including 70% at 4-year universities, and the vast majority are involved in clubs, sports, or other extracurricular activities and need their phones to communicate amongst each other to plan for these activities during the school day. Students have had to problem-solve and are testing other apps and planning more in advance to adjust. Our students on campuses located on college campuses, like Richard Vladovic Harbor Teacher Preparation Academy, are allowed to use their cell phones while attending the college courses as part of the dual enrollment agreement. They follow the college’s phone policy while attending college courses. When they are in their high school classes, they abide by the LAUSD cell phone policy.

The greatest concern parents have expressed is about communicating with their children during an emergency situation. My own Board District 7 Family Advisory Council members have indicated that they are concerned for their child’s safety, particularly after the rash of school threats that happened across the country earlier this school year. Families want to ensure their students are safe while on campuses. They want schools to communicate timely information to them about student safety during emergency situations.

California’s AB 3216 does not define what constitutes an “emergency” but it does indicate that policies must allow students to maintain access to their phones in case of an emergency situation. Our policy will allow students’ phones to be with them in their classrooms, either in their backpacks, in pouches, or other permitted products. During an emergency, students will be able to access their phones when staff determines it is safe to do so. If an individual parent or student requests that a student be allowed to use their phone due to a perceived threat of danger, then the school will convene a threat assessment and develop a safety plan before allowing use of the phone.

One of the potential “emergencies” our schools in the city too often experience is a lockdown, typically because of policy activity in the area near a school. In these cases, principals send a short message to parents within the first 10 minutes indicating the school is on a lockdown, all students are safe, and more information will come as available. While I understand parents’ worries, as a former middle school teacher and LAUSD parent myself, I also understand that the most accurate information comes from school officials, not from students. Waiting a few minutes to hear the official word can initially be nerve-wracking but it can also be more calming as it avoids rumors or exaggeration.

My hope is that this policy will not only cultivate a more positive school culture but also contribute to academic excellence, better mental health, and growth for the students who most need it. By reducing distractions and fostering face-to-face interaction, we are setting the stage for a future where our students can focus on their learning, support one another, and build the interpersonal skills they’ll need to pursue the journey of their college, career, and life of their dreams.