Going Phoneless
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Research has shown a significant increase in the learning of students who do not have access to their phones during the school day. Based on this research HCHS decided to go phoneless last school year, resulting in a surprisingly positive reception.

“We LOVE no phones in the school. Our kids would say they see a difference in the way that kids interact with each other in between classes and at lunch,” ​​commented Jamie Langejans, parent of two current HCHS students and one 2024 graduate. “One of my concerns for this next generation is their lack of interpersonal skills due to the escape of pulling out a cell phone. Whatever we can do to combat that is going to give our kids an advantage in the workplace, but more importantly in their communities. To be able to notice others…. not just withdraw into our own devices. Way to go HC on this one!” 

Overall HCHS teachers appreciated the new rule of no cell phones during the HCHS school day as well, even though they end up the rule’s main enforcers, removing over 272 student phones last school year: “I really enjoyed when kids would enter a room, they would talk to each other and to me instead of retreating into their phones,” HCHS band and orchestra teacher Scott VandenBerg noted. “It led to many interesting conversations and chances to get to know kids and for them to know each other.”

Looking back to a year ago, when HCHS first implemented its rule of no cell phones during the school day, it seemed a whole lot more controversial than it actually was, or is now. Especially since so many schools, school districts, even whole states, are going the same route—banning cell phones in schools throughout the school day. 

Two states, Florida and Indiana, have already banned cell phones outright in classrooms. Ohio requires school districts to create cell phone policies minimizing student cell phone use, while other states are currently investigating cell phone bans based on school state funding. Just last month, the nation’s second largest and most diverse school district, Los Angeles Unified, with 429,000 students, became the largest district to adopt a full-fledged ban on phones during the school day. 

Locally, Unity Christian High School plans to implement Yondr Monitors this school year for all students’ phones—a locking device that students lock their phones into immediately after walking into the school building in the morning, carry around with them all day, and then unlock when they leave at the end of the school day. Other area high schools such as The Potter’s House, Coopersville, Zeeland, and Grand Haven have all banned student cell phones during school hours to varying degrees, while Spring Lake High School is currently debating a ban.

HCHS principal Miles Colago explained that the no phones in school conversation actually started with Deb Feenstra, before Miles came to HC in the 22-23 school year. Miles simply continued the conversation started by Deb and the staff, adding his own research on the growing topic, including stats like how much bullying decreased in Spain and France when students didn’t have phones. How academic performances went up. Researchers even noted the differences in student learning when the phones were left on students’ desks vs. in their backpacks vs. out of the classroom entirely. Guess which option students learned best with?

Research on schools without phones in students’ hands throughout the day finds students interacting more with each other, building community better, and in general, learning better, Miles added. 

One of his number one reasons for banning phones in high school, however? 

“To bring back childhood,” Miles said, explaining that the reasons behind no phones in the high school are “pretty similar to what Miska [Rynsburger] said about why Forest School. This is part of childhood learning—how to pick up on social cues, and learn how to respond to verbal messages on the fly. I’ve noticed over the last few years the effect [cell phones] have on students—technology is not neutral.”

And Miles can rattle off all the research, including Jonathan Haidt’s extensive research and recent book, The Anxious Generation, on how social media and cellphones can lead to greater anxiety in teens.

“Once you put something into writing, it’s out there,” Miles said, explaining how he wanted to take the social anxiety off of students at school at least, so they can focus on learning instead. With social media, “kids are thinking how is this one person going to perceive me, and even how are 1000 people who are going to perceive what I’m about to say—which creates a ton of anxiety.”

Miles adds that the typical argument against the no cell phones in school hours rule is that teens need to learn to handle cell phones at some point, so why not learn to manage them earlier rather than later?

“It’s an addiction!” Miles said, adding “With that analogy, we should let kids have alcohol or heroin. Developmentally their impulse control is miniscule. Nicotine is less addictive—the effects of social media are way worse than smoking was when it was popular in high school!”

You might think that most students wouldn’t be huge fans of the rule, but you’d be surprised.

“I liked it, honestly,” said Kelsey Dokter ’24, who as a member of the student council helped approve the rule when Miles proposed it to the student council. “I had a lot more in person conversations, people were just there. In the past, people were just glued to their phones. I saw a big benefit this year.”

“I have mixed opinions about it,” Lydia Rodriguez ’24 said. “Obviously it’s not good to be on social media and phones constantly, and limiting that has been very beneficial for me.

“But on the flipside, we’re supposed to have more independence—especially during our junior and senior years—but without the ability to call work or call my mom, that independence is limited. As a freshman it would have been really easy for me, but as a senior [with a job] it was really hard.”

However students aren’t always looking at the research and long term stats. Through social media “Children are being told the world is a very dangerous place, and are encouraged to be inside and play video games,” Miles added. “Young boys aren’t breaking bones as much as in previous generations, since they’re not outside roughhousing. Instead male depression and suicide numbers are increasing.

“If you take the phones out of their hands for seven hours a day, that’s at least seven hours when they don’t have to worry about that pressure,” Miles said.

“I loved it!,” Spanish teacher Jane (Geerlings) VanderBeek ’90 commented about the rule. “I loved that I saw significantly more face-to-face student-student and student-teacher conversations between classes because people were interacting with each other instead of on their phones. It helped, too, that for the most part the staff was consistent in keeping kids accountable for the new expectations. All in all, definitely two thumbs up from me!”

“I absolutely feel like kids were more engaged with what was happening in the room and with each other in person in the classroom as a result of not having the phone to worry about all the time,” added business teacher Duane Baker. “I think kids were more engaged with each other outside of the classroom as well. Having a blanket rule made enforcing it very simple and took away the confrontation that always seemed to be potentially be there with phones in past years. 100% the right choice for education and for kids’ mental health and relationships!”