DeKalb’s new ‘Disconnect to Reconnect’ policy raises questions about focus, safety, and student freedom.

Arabia Mountain High School students Jayden Fraser and Zion Wilkinson examine DeKalb County Schools’ new cellphone ban during the school day and the disagreements between teachers and students on the positive impact the ban has on learning as well as it's new challenges.

Did banning cell phones make the school day easier or harder?

Recently, DeKalb County has enforced a district-wide cellphone ban labeled “Disconnect to Reconnect.” All DeKalb schools are requiring students to put up or turn in their personal devices throughout the school day.

While some teachers may think this is the best decision DeKalb has ever made, our students may think otherwise. The banning of cell phones does have the potential to improve students' performance overall, but from a student standpoint, it might concern their safety. Cell phones in the classroom are one of the biggest distractions, but at the same time in certain situations, they could save a life.

Let’s go to both our teachers and students to see what they have to say.

According to our principal, Mrs. Mason, the decision to ban cellphones during class was necessary.

“Cell phones can offer a lot of distractions," she said. "Whether we recognize it or not, it takes away from things that you should learn not just as a student, but also as a young adult.”

Meanwhile, students at Arabia Mountains have mixed reactions, according to Nathaniel Jackson. “I've seen, when I'm in a group, we work better because they don't have more distractions. I'm able to push them towards a common goal of learning and focusing.”

But not every student sees it that way.

“A phone can be seen as a distraction, but you can get distracted with literally anything, so an entire ban, district-wide, is irrelevant and excessive,” said Aldwin McLean.

To gain some insight and understand the situation, we found an article reported by the Kaiser Family Foundation on the implications school cellphone bans have on youth mental health.

It stated that “while evidence on school (phone) bans is inconsistent, rising concerns regarding the negative effects of social media and excessive internet use among youth have led to different policy and safety measures being introduced at the state and federal level.”

A story by Psychiatrist.com states, “adolescents in schools with phone bans failed to show improvements in areas, such as anxiety, depression, sleep duration, academic performance, or disruptive classroom behavior.”

This article showed that the new policy has no effect, which begs an even bigger question: What is the real problem in classrooms today?

The policy is rather new to the whole district, so we can’t say anything for sure about what's next. All we can do is watch and analyze what real effects cell phone bans have. Will students improve all-around because of the ban, or will it continue to, in some cases, have no effect at all?

Will banning phones make school a better place to learn, or just another rule students push back against?

Dekalb County’s new “Disconnect to Reconnect” rule has kicked off a big debate in classrooms. Teachers say banning phones will cut down on distractions and help students stay focused, but many students feel it makes school harder and even less safe. Some studies show that phone bans help, while others say they don’t improve grades, mental health, or behavior.

For teachers, the policy might feel like the right move for discipline, giving them a way to manage classroom distractions more effectively. However, students see it as losing a lifeline during the day, raising concerns about personal safety and access to important information. 

Research on school phone bans is divided: The Kaiser article highlights rising concerns about social media harms, while Psychiatrist.com reports no improvements in mental health, sleep, or behavior in schools with bans. This shows that the policy’s impact might vary depending on the situation, and that banning phones may not address deeper issues in education.

Since the policy is still new, everyone is waiting to see whether it really helps learning or just creates new challenges for both students and teachers.