By Alexa Loera, Greenwich High School, class of 2026
Throughout modern history, the relationship between teenagers and phones has stirred debate. From the era of shared family rotary phones to the modern era of teens glued to their personal cell phones, their phone use has been scrutinized by adults.
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On June 30, 2024, a petition advocating cell phone-free rules in Greenwich Public Schools began to circulate. Currently the petition, which has 769 signatures out of the desired thousand, claims that getting rid of cell phones would discourage behavior such as cheating and cyberbullying, increase safety, and encourage social interaction and engagement amongst the students.
The petition argues the so-called “not during class” policy does not go far enough, stating that phones should be not be used throughout the school day for maximum benefit.
Despite the fact that the petition hasn’t reached its goal of 1000 signatures, the new rules were announced in a newsletter to families, that stated, “We have heard your concerns and met with some of our school community leaders on this topic during the summer months…We are keenly aware of how device usage is impacting the mental health of young people, and we aim to be responsible, supportive, and responsive in all aspects of digital use.”
Although the newsletter from Greenwich Public Schools administration announced unique rules for each group – elementary, middle, and high school – the most controversial regulations were the ones passed for Greenwich High School students.
Before this announcement, GHS students could use their cell phones during their open blocks and lunchtime. During class, cell phones were usually prohibited, although some teachers may have allowed them for school projects or for listening to music while doing individual work. However, this will no longer be the case.
The newsletter announced a new “Away All Day” regulation, in which students will not be able to access their phones at any time during the school day, including lunchtime and open blocks, unless given permission by an adult.
Greenwich Public Schools is not the only district in Connecticut going through a revision of cell phone rules. In fact, on August 21, Connecticut Governor Ned Lamont, alongside Connecticut Education Commissioner Russell-Tucker, released a statement, urging all the state's school districts to update their cell phone (and other personal technological devices) regulations and provided a template of restrictions they could adapt to their districts.
Additionally, the University of Connecticut announced a study to see what kind of effects different regulations have – having students take a digital literacy course, having them putting their phones in pouches, or having no regulation whatsoever – in order to determine if these kinds of regulations will truly affect the well-being of students.
That same day, GHS Principal Ralph Mayo wrote a letter he shared on the school website describing the updated regulations. In his letter, Mr. Mayo emphasized that the new regulations were not set in stone, and a committee will be formed during the school year’s first semester to oversee this.
“...Between the months of September and December, a high school committee will be formed, composed of student government members, staff, and select family members, to have more meaningful conversations and make proper adjustments if needed. Consequences for infractions will not begin until January while we focus on redirection and education in the first semester. I have heard from so many students voicing their opinions and sharing their ideas."
"Maybe we will go in a different direction for times like lunch,” Mr. Mayo added.
The principal also said the rules did not constitute "a ban."
Mr. Mayo also stated that high school was the time to learn self-control and self-regulation, and that the new guidelines were designed to help students develop these abilities.
Regardless, many GHS students have not responded favorably, with many believing that the rules are unreasonable and too extreme. As Caroline, a GHS student, stated, “I feel like it could be a prohibition-like situation. They are definitely not going to have enough people to support it."
Caroline pointed out that the school hasn’t been able to stop students from vaping, despite repeated efforts.
On August 15th, a petition was started by GHS students, advocating for the reversal of what they consider a cellphone ban. As of August 25, the petition had been signed by 1,096 people. As stated on the petition, “Ironically, this decision strips our ability to make decisions regarding our smartphones and to learn so-called 'self-regulation.' This new policy would directly go against the idea of freedom with responsibility.”
One of the students who created the petition said the new rules were both unfair to students and logistically unrealistic, and questioned whether the rules were in response to the parent-led petition, noting that petition was signed by 700 parents, a relatively small percentage of all Greenwich Public Schools parents.
By contrast, the student petition has 1128 signatures. The school has 2700 students. (To be fair, the student petition has both student and parent signatures.)
“I knew that the GHS student body would be able to get a petition with way more signatures than that in a short amount of time, and it did. The petition that I started surpassed the number of signatures on the parent petition in just about a day,” said one of the students who started the petition, adding,“I believe that the rules applied to the middle and elementary schools are fair and mostly already in place, however I do not think that the policy extending to Greenwich High School is very productive. The organization that supported the ban has the intention of stopping young people from getting on social media too early, which is something I would agree with (nobody under the age of 13, the age you have to be to use most social media platforms, should be on social media).”
In addition, the student who started the petition warned that GHS teens were already on social media and the new rules would not stop them, but rather make them feel like they were being treated like middle schoolers, and possibly result in them acting less mature.
One of the main complaints against the new regulations is that they go against the “freedom with responsibility” mantra at GHS.
This belief is shared by the creator of the petition, who stated, “The purpose of the decision was apparently to teach the students to self regulate their cell phone usage as they would have to in adulthood. I personally know that this is a faulty logic because I work at a job with adults as my coworkers and I’m treated like an adult. During lunch breaks at work, I am allowed to use my phone, as it is my time, not my employer’s…” As a reference, this interview was conducted during their lunch break.
As the student suggested, “If students were allowed to use their phones during lunch breaks and opens, but not class, as was the rule already, students would learn that if they get a text during class, they need to wait the 40 minutes or so until passing time, lunch, or an open to respond. This would teach students to self regulate their cell phone usage.”
Overall, it seems that the main issue seems to be responsibility.
GHS has struggled to stop students from filming school fights and spreading videos through apps such as Snapchat, which may have influenced the creation of a stricter code of conduct in regards to cell phones.
Of course, technology can sometimes be used in unexpected, but positive ways. For instance, during the 2023-2024 school year, four students were locked in a bathroom after the door got stuck, and were able to use their cellphones to communicate with their parents, who were able to have a firsthand account of the situation, likely decreasing stress and worry for all those involved (I should know, I was one of the students). It’s not that the use of a cell phone itself is bad, it’s the inappropriate use of a cell phone.
And because there is no way to stop students from using cell phones outside of school, there is the chance that they may come to use their phones even more overall. The best one can strive for is to teach them how to act in a responsible manner. The main issue seems to be that the district and the students don't agree on how to achieve this – only time will tell if the new cell phone regulations will change behavior, and whether or not the students’ voices will be heard.
On June 30, 2024, a petition advocating cell phone-free rules in Greenwich Public Schools began to circulate. Currently the petition, which has 769 signatures out of the desired thousand, claims that getting rid of cell phones would discourage behavior such as cheating and cyberbullying, increase safety, and encourage social interaction and engagement amongst the students.
The petition argues the so-called “not during class” policy does not go far enough, stating that phones should be not be used throughout the school day for maximum benefit.
Despite the fact that the petition hasn’t reached its goal of 1000 signatures, the new rules were announced in a newsletter to families, that stated, “We have heard your concerns and met with some of our school community leaders on this topic during the summer months…We are keenly aware of how device usage is impacting the mental health of young people, and we aim to be responsible, supportive, and responsive in all aspects of digital use.”
Although the newsletter from Greenwich Public Schools administration announced unique rules for each group – elementary, middle, and high school – the most controversial regulations were the ones passed for Greenwich High School students.
Before this announcement, GHS students could use their cell phones during their open blocks and lunchtime. During class, cell phones were usually prohibited, although some teachers may have allowed them for school projects or for listening to music while doing individual work. However, this will no longer be the case.
The newsletter announced a new “Away All Day” regulation, in which students will not be able to access their phones at any time during the school day, including lunchtime and open blocks, unless given permission by an adult.
Greenwich Public Schools is not the only district in Connecticut going through a revision of cell phone rules. In fact, on August 21, Connecticut Governor Ned Lamont, alongside Connecticut Education Commissioner Russell-Tucker, released a statement, urging all the state's school districts to update their cell phone (and other personal technological devices) regulations and provided a template of restrictions they could adapt to their districts.
Additionally, the University of Connecticut announced a study to see what kind of effects different regulations have – having students take a digital literacy course, having them putting their phones in pouches, or having no regulation whatsoever – in order to determine if these kinds of regulations will truly affect the well-being of students.
That same day, GHS Principal Ralph Mayo wrote a letter he shared on the school website describing the updated regulations. In his letter, Mr. Mayo emphasized that the new regulations were not set in stone, and a committee will be formed during the school year’s first semester to oversee this.
“...Between the months of September and December, a high school committee will be formed, composed of student government members, staff, and select family members, to have more meaningful conversations and make proper adjustments if needed. Consequences for infractions will not begin until January while we focus on redirection and education in the first semester. I have heard from so many students voicing their opinions and sharing their ideas."
"Maybe we will go in a different direction for times like lunch,” Mr. Mayo added.
The principal also said the rules did not constitute "a ban."
Mr. Mayo also stated that high school was the time to learn self-control and self-regulation, and that the new guidelines were designed to help students develop these abilities.
Regardless, many GHS students have not responded favorably, with many believing that the rules are unreasonable and too extreme. As Caroline, a GHS student, stated, “I feel like it could be a prohibition-like situation. They are definitely not going to have enough people to support it."
Caroline pointed out that the school hasn’t been able to stop students from vaping, despite repeated efforts.
On August 15th, a petition was started by GHS students, advocating for the reversal of what they consider a cellphone ban. As of August 25, the petition had been signed by 1,096 people. As stated on the petition, “Ironically, this decision strips our ability to make decisions regarding our smartphones and to learn so-called 'self-regulation.' This new policy would directly go against the idea of freedom with responsibility.”
One of the students who created the petition said the new rules were both unfair to students and logistically unrealistic, and questioned whether the rules were in response to the parent-led petition, noting that petition was signed by 700 parents, a relatively small percentage of all Greenwich Public Schools parents.
By contrast, the student petition has 1128 signatures. The school has 2700 students. (To be fair, the student petition has both student and parent signatures.)
“I knew that the GHS student body would be able to get a petition with way more signatures than that in a short amount of time, and it did. The petition that I started surpassed the number of signatures on the parent petition in just about a day,” said one of the students who started the petition, adding,“I believe that the rules applied to the middle and elementary schools are fair and mostly already in place, however I do not think that the policy extending to Greenwich High School is very productive. The organization that supported the ban has the intention of stopping young people from getting on social media too early, which is something I would agree with (nobody under the age of 13, the age you have to be to use most social media platforms, should be on social media).”
In addition, the student who started the petition warned that GHS teens were already on social media and the new rules would not stop them, but rather make them feel like they were being treated like middle schoolers, and possibly result in them acting less mature.
One of the main complaints against the new regulations is that they go against the “freedom with responsibility” mantra at GHS.
This belief is shared by the creator of the petition, who stated, “The purpose of the decision was apparently to teach the students to self regulate their cell phone usage as they would have to in adulthood. I personally know that this is a faulty logic because I work at a job with adults as my coworkers and I’m treated like an adult. During lunch breaks at work, I am allowed to use my phone, as it is my time, not my employer’s…” As a reference, this interview was conducted during their lunch break.
As the student suggested, “If students were allowed to use their phones during lunch breaks and opens, but not class, as was the rule already, students would learn that if they get a text during class, they need to wait the 40 minutes or so until passing time, lunch, or an open to respond. This would teach students to self regulate their cell phone usage.”
Overall, it seems that the main issue seems to be responsibility.
GHS has struggled to stop students from filming school fights and spreading videos through apps such as Snapchat, which may have influenced the creation of a stricter code of conduct in regards to cell phones.
Of course, technology can sometimes be used in unexpected, but positive ways. For instance, during the 2023-2024 school year, four students were locked in a bathroom after the door got stuck, and were able to use their cellphones to communicate with their parents, who were able to have a firsthand account of the situation, likely decreasing stress and worry for all those involved (I should know, I was one of the students). It’s not that the use of a cell phone itself is bad, it’s the inappropriate use of a cell phone.
And because there is no way to stop students from using cell phones outside of school, there is the chance that they may come to use their phones even more overall. The best one can strive for is to teach them how to act in a responsible manner. The main issue seems to be that the district and the students don't agree on how to achieve this – only time will tell if the new cell phone regulations will change behavior, and whether or not the students’ voices will be heard.