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At Mounds View High School in Arden Hills, a cellphone isn’t just a communication tool for students, it’s an attendance sheet for teachers. 

“Students come into the class, they put their phone in a caddy. Teachers are using the phone caddies to determine attendance,” said Mounds View High School Principal Rob Reetz. 

Since March, Minnesota schools have been required, by law, to implement strong cellphone policies. It comes from 

an omnibus education bill passed in May 2024

. However, schools like Mounds View got ahead of the curve and started regulating phones the same summer.

OK school policy changes on cell phones, book bans, literacy

policy landscape across Minnesota includes locked pouches

“We had an uptick in fights, we had a number of concerning issues with absenteeism — students leaving class,” Reetz said. “[The policy] was really driven by teachers, a desire to get kids back engaged in learning.”

And the policy isn’t just phone caddies. Reetz said they wanted to implement a new routine for students. So, from the start of the bell for each class, students put away their phones and aren’t allowed to have them again, including restroom breaks, until the next bell rings. In between periods, students are allowed access again. 

“85 percent of our parents felt strongly that students shouldn’t have their phone in class, but many felt like kids, throughout the day, would need some access to be able to be in contact with, really anyone,” Reetz said. 

“There’s clearly an uptick in students feeling a greater degree of belongingness to school, more connected to their teachers, more willing to talk with mental health professionals at the school,” Reetz said.

“In fact, we’re at a decade low for juniors in high school and suicidal ideation. To me, there’s a there’s a correlation in an uptick in connectedness when students—when anyone puts their phone away.”

Listen to the full conversation by clicking the player above.

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A principal at a high school in Arden Hills said they’re a year into a new cellphone policy that has had a positive impact on learning. 

This school implemented a strict cellphone policy, a year later the principal said students are doing better

Mounds View High School principal says restricting cell phones has increased connection

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