After being in effect for over a semester, East staff say that the Bellevue Public Schools phone policy has reduced phone usage despite some students and staff reporting inconsistent enforcement of the policy.
At the beginning of the 2024-25 school year, Bellevue Public Schools introduced a district-wide policy limiting the use of personal electronic devices. An email from the district stated that the decision to create a policy stemmed from many sources, including feedback from staff.
“[The phone policy] was created in response to the district survey,” dean Chelsea Hoglund said. “So there’s surveys where teachers can put in what they feel like their biggest needs are, and there were a lot of concerns about cell phone use in the classroom and the engagement being down and the need for a top-down policy.”
The district email also stated that the district was concerned about excessive phone use in youth, which can worsen academic success and mental health. A 2024 CDC study reported that teenagers who spend four hours or more on their phone each day are roughly 15% more likely to experience symptoms of anxiety and depression.
“To me, [the phone policy] made sense because in all of my classes everyone was on their phones 24/7, but personally, I was a bit unhappy because I know that I’m one of those students that isn’t on my phone 24/7,” junior Cayla Ross said. “And I know that typically whenever I have free time in the class, I prefer to go on my phone versus just sitting there staring at nothing for the rest of the class.”
In January, a bill was introduced to the Nebraska legislature that would prevent the use of cell phones on school grounds, with the option for school boards to create exceptions. While the bill is not law yet, it advanced with zero opposition votes on March 3, 2025.
“I’d be really unhappy [if that bill passed],” Ross said. “I feel like during lunch and passing, class time isn’t going on… I feel like if you aren’t being taught anything during those periods, then you should be able to be on your phone.”
At Bellevue East, phones are still allowed before and after school, during lunch, and during passing periods. However, cell phone usage is prohibited from bell to bell each class, and if a student is on their phone, the teacher will ask the student to put the device away. Instructor David Bossman said that it is sometimes difficult to enforce the policy.
“The biggest struggle is that there’s been inconsistency in people enforcing the phone policy, so that it becomes difficult when there’s not that across the board consistency from classroom to classroom,” Bossman said. “I’ve seen a little bit of that, and I think teachers need to be consistent again.”
If a teacher does not follow the phone policy, administrators will work to address the issue through one-on-one conversations with that teacher. Ross said that while she often sees students on their phones, her teachers usually ask students to follow the policy.
“Honestly, in all my classes there’s at least one person on their phone, but typically it’s more than that,” Ross said. “Anytime I’m in a class and someone’s on their phone and a teacher notices it, they’ll just say, ‘okay, put your phone away’…. However, there are some teachers that I don’t know if they pretend to not notice or if they just genuinely don’t see it.”
In a follow-up survey conducted by the district on the phone policy, students expressed frustration about difficulties in communication with family and friends. However, they also listed reduced distractions and better focus as benefits to the policy.
“I know that kids love their phones, so I know that that’s hard,” Hoglund said, “but I think it’s helped them be engaged in classes and doing what they’re supposed to do.”
In the same survey, 97% of staff members said that the new policy significantly improves students’ ability to focus on schoolwork. While some students and staff notice inconsistency in enforcement of the phone policy, they generally believe it has helped students reduce their phone usage.
“I think for the most part, in my classroom, most of the kids are way better than last year and do have it put away,” Bossman said, “and if I see it and mention it, then they’re pretty good at putting it away.”
