Luxemburg-Casco Middle School Puts Down Phones

Luxemburg-Casco Middle School Principal Todd Chandler. Submitted.

In pilot program, school removes smart devices during school

An innovative pilot initiative, where students are not allowed to access their smart devices during the school day, has been implemented this year at Luxemburg-Casco Middle School. Known as “Away for the Day,” the program is based around research showing that teens do better in school with their phones away. 

Now in the third full week of the new school year, Middle School Principal Todd Chandler believes that the initiative has been positively received. 

“Why are we doing this, and why now,’ are two questions I frequently receive,” Chandler said. “The short answer is that we want our students’ attention and focus back. We believe – and research supports – that by eliminating personal smart devices, schools are seeing increases in academic performance, increases in face-to-face communication, a reduction in social issues and decreases in unkind acts and bullying. We understand there won’t be 100 percent agreement on this solution and that it may not be popular with everyone. But it feels like it’s  

time to do something, even if it isn’t perfect. We think it is going to have an impact.” 

Chandler presented about “Away for the Day” at an Aug. 21 Open House event. 

A survey on student technology use was sent out earlier this year to parents and guardians of rising seventh- and eighth-grade students. Almost four in five parents (78.2%) were either in favor, or strongly in favor, of proposed technology restrictions during the school day. The survey also noted that 89 percent of the district’s middle-school students have a personal cell phone. 

The roughly 300 middle-school students are required to leave all of their personal technology in their lockers from first bell to last bell of the school day, 7:37 am – 3:07 pm. Prohibited technology includes cell phones, smart watches, air pods and any other technology not assigned by the school. 

Parents and guardians who need to contact their student during the school day can do so through the school’s main office. Students are allowed to use their personal technology before and after the school day, along with checking messages from home prior to going to lunch. 

Restrooms and locker rooms remain as prohibited areas for student technology use.

The amount of time a student spends on personal technology, including social media, negatively affects student grades, according to Chandler. 

Research shared by the team that developed the “Away for the Day” initiative showed that college students who were not using their cell phones wrote down 62 percent more information in their class notes and scored a letter-and-a-half grade higher on multiple choice tests than students who were actively using their phones. The effect is more impactful on low-achieving students than it is on students who already are high achievers. 

When schools in England banned mobile phones, the test scores of 16-year-old students increased by 6.4%. Moreover, research has shown that students who are regularly interrupted by text messages average 10.6% lower on test scores. 

The new policy initiative will be evaluated throughout the current school year. Whether it continues in future school years – and if other district school buildings choose to adopt the program – will be determined by district leadership based on its deemed success or failure.