NILES, Mich. -- Finding ways to separate kids from their cellphones during school hours.
On Wednesday, Michigan Governor Gretchen Whitmer signed a new law that requires all school districts to implement classroom cell-phone bans by this coming fall.
One school district that ABC57 spoke with is not planning on changing their already implemented policy, and that's because their policy already meets the requirements spelled out in the bill by Michigan's governor.
At the start of the 2024-2025 school year, the Brandywine school district established a new cell phone policy. For students in grades three through six, their cell phone must be put in their locker and not used until the end of the day.
For grades seven through 12, the phone cannot be used during instructional time but can be accessed during passing periods and lunch. It's a policy that Brandywine superintendent Travis Walker says is yielding mostly positive results.
"Teacher feedback has been positive, they believe they're seeing more engagement, better student engagement because of the policy. Student feedback has been a little mixed, there's been some positive, some students have stated that they actually enjoy not having access to their phone, because it is a temptation to check it, a big part of this bill is not just about instructional time but about student mental health," said Walker.
Brandywine isn't the only local district to establish a cell phone policy last year. Saint Joseph High School issued a statement saying, "Beginning with the 2024-25 school year, we adjusted our practices at the high school to limit the use of personal communication devices to passing periods and lunch time, which directly mirrors the state's goal of reclaiming instructional time while maintaining essential communication channels for families."
"So, this is something we've been pushing at least 30 months now," said Republican State Representative Mark Tisdel of Rochester.
The bill was sponsored by Tisdel, who says the data and evidence speaks to why he was so passionate about getting it passed.
"The science is in, the research is done, smartphones in classrooms are a disruption, they're designed to be addictive. We know that the social pathologies that accompany overexposure to social media sites, it's all negative and there's no room for it in the classrooms," said Tisdel.
The Benton Harbor School District had this to say about the law.
"In January 2025, Benton Harbor Area Schools implemented our own 'Away For The Day' initiative, requiring all personal communication devices to be powered off and stored out of sight to minimize distractions and prioritize student mental health."