Since the start of the 2025-26 school year, Bellows Free Academy has enacted a schoolwide phone ban. “Bell to bell, no cell.” There has been considerable unrest among students surrounding the new rules. Angel, a sophomore, said that she believes “it’s helping overall student productivity, but it’s annoying.” However, students have been stressed with the concept of being unable to contact parents or friends during passing periods. In addition to the new no phone policy, earbuds and electronic watches have also been banned. This goes not only for students but also for teachers and faculty. Teachers overall seem to be embracing the phone ban with open arms, feeling that it’s easier to build relationships with their students and keep them on track. In an interview with Mr. Szymanski, a social studies teacher, he mentioned that “he has never felt better in his entire life.” The lack of electronic devices has absolutely lowered distractions during classes, but has this made students more engaged?

In all actuality, the phone ban is essentially the same as years before, except now students are not allowed to have phones between periods, and the consequences of having your phone out during the day are more severe and more heavily implemented. Earlier in the year, students were getting caught on their phones during the school day, but it seems to be less of a problem now. For the first few weeks of school, Principal Rico came on the intercom each morning to either praise the students of BFA for the great job they were doing about keeping their phones away, or provide updates on the number of kids who got their phones taken away. In an interview with Principal Rico, she mentioned that she “thinks that students are coming around.” Furthermore, behavioral referrals are down, the school environment is improving, and school spirit is coming back. Overall, the school phone ban, although new, is something future students will be used to as the state-wide ban becomes enacted next year.