Every day at Johnston High School, the crowded halls are filled with students with their heads down facing the glowing screens in their hands during passing period. They cling to each moment with their devices until classes start.  This might not be the case for much longer. 

“I do think a phone ban could be in our future, there’s a lot of schools that are already implementing it all around Iowa. Obviously, all of the Des Moines schools have done it and so have the DCG schools already,” Reagan Dammeier ‘25, a student representative on the Johnston school board said. 

Over the past year, more and more schools in the Des Moines metro have placed phone bans in their classrooms. As our world continues to become more technological, teachers have had a harder time getting phones out of the hands of students during class. Another school district that has enforced a ban this year is Ankeny High School.

“The new policy is that phones cannot be used at all in the school day, including passing periods. You can use your phone if you have an open period and at lunch, but that’s it. Most of my teachers give us a warning once class starts to have our phones put away. Then if they catch you with your phone after warning you, I believe you receive an immediate referral and they take your phone,” Annabel Maceda ‘27, an Ankeny student said.

Ankeny’s cellphone ban went into effect October 22 of this year. The students and staff shared mixed reactions, but for everyone the new ban was a learning process and intended to be a push for students to stay more focused on their learning.

“I have noticed that less students are using their phones in the halls and in class, but other than that I haven’t really noticed any improvement in the classroom. Personally, I think it is excessive that we can’t have our phones during passing periods, since that has nothing to do with learning. I think that it’s a step too far when a student might need their phones for necessary communication,” Maceda said.

Governor Kim Reynolds has mentioned that she plans to propose legislation in January 2025 that would completely ban cellphones in all Iowa school districts so that students can focus on staying engaged in their learning. Eight other states in the United States have already banned or restricted cell phone use in their classrooms. 

“I am 100% behind it (a phone ban). I understand that students need their phones to get a hold of their parents, but there’s passing time. Again, I think if teachers, if we had that conversation with students that there’s a time and a place for them and they really respected that, I think it wouldn’t be such a big deal. It is out every time there is a few seconds of downtime, and it’s very discouraging when you have to keep telling your students to put them away,” Kari Gray, a teacher at JHS said.

*For JHS in particular, students aren’t generally supposed to have their phones out in class. Staff at Johnston have consequences in place if students don’t follow these directions. 

“I think that the overall adult population of Johnston, the teaching staff, the principals and administrators are probably for the phone ban as well, to see higher performance among students. So I think that it could end up going in that direction,” Dammeier said. 

In correlation to Ankeny, the students and staff at Johnston feel mixed emotions towards the ban. Although, each side has its reasons for why a phone ban would be beneficial or detrimental to the student body.

“I see both sides of it. I think that when you look around and you see students on their phones during lectures and things like that, you can definitely see where it would be upsetting for teachers when those same kids want to come in and reassess. But at the same time, I think that with increasing safety issues throughout the schools, I think it’s important that students have connections with their personal devices so that in the case of one of those incidents, they can keep in contact with their loved ones and things like that,” Dammeier said.

If a phone ban does become enforced at JHS, it could possibly go beyond just their education. Students could be more present in class and have an easier time connecting with their peers. 

“The fact that my students don’t even talk to each other, they just are on their phones. It’s really sad that it’s starting to affect their engagement with their others. I have students that don’t even know the people that sit at their tables,” Gray said.

A cellphone ban has been a controversial topic of discussion ever since they have found their way to the hands of teenagers. No matter what our district decides, there is no denying our world continues to become more technological every day.

“Long term, I think that the cell phone ban would probably have a positive effect on our students. It would force them to interact more with the school environment instead of resorting to being on their phones. So I think that long term it could be beneficial,” Dammeier said.

*A correction has been made since print, JHS does not use cellphone blockers.*