Pleasant Grove High School bans cell phone use

PLEASANT GROVE, Utah — Pleasant Grove High School said that it has banned cell-phone use during class. 

Listen to Pleasant Grove High School Principal John Hanks 👇

The announcement comes after Utah Gov. Spencer Cox shared a letter to school leaders across the state. 

According to a press release from Alpine School District, the letter motivated the school’s leaders. 

Tamara Oborn, a Pleasant Grove High School wellness teacher, helped do research and gather feedback from the school community. 

“Research overwhelmingly shows that cell phones in the classroom have a negative impact on student learning,” said Oborn. “They cause distractions, increase anxiety, and decrease the sense of safety and privacy among students. Having distance from cell phones during class time improves student learning by increasing engagement with the material and fellow students, which facilitates deep learning and increased confidence.”

The case against cell phones

The press release said that Oborn’s research found that many students worry about missing out on notifications during class. They also spend less time interacting with their peers when cell phones are present. 

A University of California, Irvine study found that on average, it takes 23 minutes to refocus on a task after an interruption. 

According to Gov. Cox’s letter, many Utah schools have already adopted schoolwide cell phone bans. They reported that they are seeing positive results including improved learning outcomes, better peer-to-peer connection, and a decrease in bullying. 

Additionally, U.S. News reported that a different study found cell phone use in the classroom can lead to lower test scores. 

So far, Pleasant Grove High School Principal John Hanks said students have been mostly cooperative. 

“Very few students have been resistant, and in most cases, we’ve been able to work with parents to find a solution that helps everybody succeed. That success has been a result of engaging teachers and parents in the process of change. Once they were committed, we knew we would make a positive impact on student learning,” said Hanks. 

Related: Bill targeting children’s cell phone protections moves to the Utah Senate