SHELTON PUBLIC SCHOOLS IS MOVING TO A FULL CELL PHONE AND OTHER ELECTRONIC DEVICE BAN DURING SCHOOL HOURS.
This change is designed to create a safer, calmer, and more focused learning environment where every student can learn, grow, and succeed.
Guidelines for Families: What the Policy Allows and Expects
Our updated cell phone policy balances student safety and convenience with a focused, distraction-free school day. Here is what is allowed under Policy 6025:
Safe Storage Options: Students are allowed to bring their cell phones and other electronic devices to school. To help avoid distraction and the temptation to use them, students should keep these devices in their lockers or backpacks during school hours.
On-Person Storage: Students are also permitted to keep their devices on their person, though any active use of the device during the school day is prohibited.
Wearable Technology: Students may wear smartwatches and other wearable devices during the day, provided that all communication features and notifications are completely disabled during school hours.
Approved Accommodations: The policy allows exceptions for students whose education team has determined a device is necessary to accommodate a disability, or where otherwise required by law.
Why We Are Making This Shift: The Positive Benefits for Students
1. Rebuilding Real-World Social Connections
The Reality: When phones are easily accessible, students often fall into "phubbing" (phone snubbing)—scrolling through screens instead of talking to the classmates right next to them. Restricting phones during social times like lunch and passing periods encourages students to look up, make eye contact, and build actual social skills.
In the Words of Jonathan Haidt (The Anxious Generation):
"The universal thing that we hear when a school goes phone-free is we hear laughter in the hallways again. The lunchroom is really loud... That is the only way to free up their attention for each other and for their teachers."
Reducing Daily Stress and Anxiety
The Reality: The constant urge to reply to notifications, check social media updates, and monitor group chats keeps the brain's stress response active all day. A phone-free school environment gives students a much-needed psychological break from the pressure of maintaining an online presence.
What the Research Shows: Completely removing phones from the school day is linked to immediate drops in peer conflict, cyberbullying, and social anxiety. Students report feeling happier and more relaxed during the day once they adjust to the change.
3. Restoring Deep Cognitive Focus
The Reality: Even when a phone is silent or face-down in a pocket, its mere presence acts as a cognitive drain, pulling a student’s mental focus away from learning. Removing this constant temptation allows students to engage fully with their lessons.
What the Research Shows: Eliminating phone distractions directly correlates with better academic performance. Large-scale studies of schools that implemented full phone bans show a noticeable improvement in student test scores and grade point averages, with the most significant gains seen among students who were previously struggling.
4. Creating a Calmer, More Engaged School Climate
The Reality: When teachers do not have to spend valuable class time policing screen use, they can focus entirely on teaching, mentoring, and building positive relationships with students.
What the Research Shows: Districts that have moved to full phone bans report a calmer school climate, fewer behavioral disruptions, and classrooms where students are more energetic and willing to participate.
4. How can you contact your child during the school day?
Call the school office:
Elementary - 308-647-6558
High School - 308-647-5459
District Office - 308-647-6742
If it isn’t an emergency, you can still send a message to them and they can check it at the end of the day.