Ann Arbor Parents Push for All-Day School Cellphone Ban To End Distractions

Parents and advocates in Ann Arbor are urging school officials to ban cellphones for the entire school day, not just during class. The proposal would keep phones off-limits from the first bell to dismissal.

On Nov. 5, about a dozen people spoke before the school board in support of the petition, which has 421 signatures. 

Brent Richards, a Pioneer High School teacher and parent, said, “Students today are more distracted, more anxious, and less engaged than ever before," according to Government Technology. He described problems linked to phones like cheating, drug deals, cyberbullying, and fights coordinated over text. 

“But perhaps, the thing that saddens me most is how access to phones deprives so many of our students of meaningful social interactions where they actually look one another in the eye and talk,” he said.

Administrators have been testing phone restrictions for a few years. Skyline High began a ban last year requiring students to store phones during class, though they can use them between periods. That policy spread to other high schools this fall, and district leaders are reviewing feedback. 

Superintendent Jazz Parks said on November 5 that the board “fully supports the work that our schools . . . are doing to limit cellphone use” and that discussion will continue.

Some students and parents oppose stricter bans, saying limited access hurts safety and doesn't stop distractions. Others, including petition organizer Amiel Handelsman, argue that the benefits outweigh drawbacks. 

The plan would allow exceptions for students with medical or educational needs. 

Former teacher Dee Lamphear said phones are addictive and hurt learning. “Both of my children have lamented that they wish they had grown up in the '80s and '90s like me,” she said. Teacher Drake Meadow added that policing devices may waste instructional time.

Recent polls show most adults and teachers support restrictions, with 83 percent of NEA members favoring full-day bans.