On average, 95 percent of U.S teenagers have a cell phone and 40 percent of teens believe they are addicted to their phones. Teens on average have a screentime of 7-9 hours daily and 60 percent saw a negative impact in their school performance.

The use of cellphones schoolwide has been a concern to public schools around the country for years. A variety of high schools started implementing a policy restricting phone usage in schools, the Baltimore School for the Arts (BSA) being no exception. 

Starting in the 2024-25 school year, cell phones, smart phones, airpods, headphones, and any other form of non-school issued electronics will be prohibited to be used in all academic classes or studio spaces without permission from the teacher. This has been the policy in the Student Handbook for several years, but will be newly reinforced classroom to classroom.

Recently, a grant was offered by Baltimore City Public Schools to any schools that were interested in trying a new approach to the cell phone problem schools have been having. BSA was one of the schools that got enough grant money to experiment with the approach. Baltimore City Public Schools chose BSA as one of 30 “pilot schools” to try this new approach before mandating it to other schools.

This policy went into effect as students walked into school on December 9th.  They had the choice between putting their phones into a phone box/caddy or charging their phones away from where they were sitting. According to assistant principal Thomas Askey, this policy will be a trial for now, with hopes from staff that the policy becomes permanent. 

“The goal is to create more learning centered classrooms and studios with fewer distractions,” Principal Rosiland Cauthen said in a school-wide email December 4. 

“We have had the feeling, generally since COVID, that people spend too much time on their phones,” stated Askey.

If students do not follow the new policy and are found to be using their phone in class then there will be consequences. “If there are problems with a student using their phone during class, we’ll ask you to put it away, we’ll contact your family and have conferences,” Askey continued. 

As expected, this was a surprise to some students, and is definitely a controversial subject within the student body.

Sophomore instrumentalist Noe Carbajal-Velasquez finds it to be disrespectful to other students and teachers when people go on their phones because it makes it difficult to pay attention. It is distracting not just to the person on the phone but to others in the class. “I’m happy with it, in an early morning music recital I don’t really want to see people swiping on their phones,” said Carbajal-Velasquez. 

“I find it really helpful, especially in improving focus,” stated sophomore film student Emma Goldenberg. “During important assemblies, I see a lot of students on their phones and it’s disrespectful,” Goldenberg continues. 

While some think the new policy is useful, naturally, some think alternatively. 

“It’s a shame, we’ve been able to use our phones for years, so why are they doing this now,” freshman stage design student Cire’ Brown expressed. 

“The more you restrict something from someone, the more desire they have to use it the little they can,” freshman film student Will Weston commented.

Some students are also worried because themselves or others have accommodations. Students with accommodations (IEPs/504 plans) are more likely to rely on non-school issued electronics, such as headphones. 

Some students questioned what would happen if their phone was taken (accidentally or on purpose). The administration stated that BSA would not be held responsible for lost or missing items. Time will tell if this new policy will be a bust or a boon for BSA students and staff.

UPDATE: Since the time of publication, Baltimore City Public Schools released a draft of policy JICJ, which would update a district-wide cell phone use policy. You can read the draft changes here, the current policy language here, and submit your feedback directly to City Schools using this form. The feedback survey is open to students, families, school staff, and other stakeholders. Students can also attend an in-person feedback session with the Board of Commissioners on Thursday, January 16 at 5 p.m. at the Baltimore Design School. Find more information here.

Editor’s Note: Will Weston, who was interviewed in this article, is a staff writer for The Muse.

To contact this writer, email Muse Newspaper at musebsa@bsfa.org.

Featured photos by Kyndall Roots for the BSA Muse.