Unplugging for the Better: A Mid-Year Cellphone Shutdown

FOCUS: SCHOOL CULTURE

Do cellphones help or hinder student learning? We asked that question at one of Nebraska’s largest high schools during the past year.

Like most schools, Grand Island Senior High School was still reeling from the pandemic. Phone and earbud use was increasing in our classrooms. Students’ mental wellness continued to be a concern.

In the middle of the fall 2023 semester, we made a drastic decision: Grand Island would be “cellphone free” for all 2,700 high school students and 200 school staff members.

Keeping student wellness and bell-to-bell instruction at the forefront, we built a detailed communication plan. We used strategic messaging to our stakeholders about the major forthcoming change.