There’s been a marked shift in the halls of schools this year. Instead of students shuffling from class to class buried in their phones, they’re actually looking up and talking with each other.
With the new Bell-to-Bell Policy coming into effect for the 2025-26 academic year, many schools in the area have expanded their policies to ensure that students aren’t using personal devices from the start of the school day until the end. The law was signed by Gov. Kevin Stitt on May 6.
Scott Baade, the superintendent of Chandler Public Schools, said students have adjusted quickly. The information was sent to parents and students before the school year started, he said, so they knew what the expectations were going to be.
“I think it’s definitely opened up a lot more dialogue between students and students, and students and teachers,” he said. “They’re talking. They’re reading books and having discussions, so I think it’s a good thing.”
Baade said that the new policy is not all that different from Chandler’s previous cell phone policy. The biggest difference is the bell-to-bell part, as the previous policy allowed students to use devices in between classes.
“With it being a law, it was a little easier for everybody to say, ‘Hey, we’ve got to do this and get everybody on the same page,’” he said.
Baade said that personal devices were becoming a distraction at schools, with students looking at their phones as they walked from building to building instead of watching for traffic. He sees the new policy as a positive thing and said that some parents have been reporting better dialogue with their kids as well.
Teachers seem to be supportive of the new policy as well. Rachel Karger, a teacher at Dale, said the school has had a no cell phone policy for several years, but, like Chandler, allowed use during class breaks.
While she was support- ive from the beginning, she was nervous about how the students would react.
“I felt like it was a great idea in theory, but you never know how teenagers will react to major changes, especially when it comes to not having their technology. I was prepared to work with my colleagues to enforce this policy, but was just so hopeful that students would be on board too,” she said.
Karger said the transition has gone smoothly at Dale High School. All students have followed the new policy from the beginning of the school year, and she hasn’t heard of many complaints.
She added that the policy isn’t meant to punish students or take things away, but rather to sharpen their focus and offer more opportunities for engagement, as well as heightening critical thinking while at school.
However, there have been some moments where Karger admits she had to stop and rethink how she does things as an educator.
For instance, many of her students have instrument tuners on their phones that she previously allowed the use of during band.
Additionally, she used to incorporate QR codes into class and have her students pull out their phones to join Google Classroom on the first day. Thankfully, Karger said it hasn’t taken much adjusting.
“It has been such a joy to watch them (students) interact during passing, making eye contact, and be engaged with each other and us,” she said.
Amanda Berry, a teacher at Chandler High School, said there were some growing pains for her classes. She said students are so used to using their phones for everything from checking the time and looking at calendars, to reading messages, pulling up documents, and even snapping pictures of notes.
“It was a hard habit to break. At first, there were a lot of reminders and a little frustration on their end. Over time, though, they’ve adjusted,” she said.
Berry added that during lunchtime in her classroom, she’s seen students bring out coloring pages, card games, and even play Pictionary. Instead of scrolling, they’re sharing jokes, doodling together, and enjoying being kids.
“It’s a small shift, but a powerful one. This policy hasn’t just helped with focus in the classroom; it’s given students back the chance to connect with each other face to face. And as a teacher, I can’t think of anything better,” she said.
Parents have said the new policy has created a shift in intentions. Crystal Simpson, whose two children attend Chandler Public Schools, said everyone has had to adapt.
“In years past, it was no big deal to ask a quick question and receive an immediate response. Now I find myself being more intentional about communicating before they go to school each day,” she said. “It’s definitely taught us all some much-needed patience.”
Simpson said she hopes to see positive trends in mental health with the policy, especially after recent, horrible tragedies in the community. While she doesn’t believe that phones were the sole cause, having 24/7 access to social media hasn’t helped either.
“Kids, and adults too, are really struggling to limit the amount of time that they spend on their phones. I really hope that this helps students develop more positive habits when it comes to screen time,” she said.