Cell Phone Protocol DHS Students

Darien Public Schools 
Cell Phone Protocol for Darien High School Students

2025/26
Frequently Asked Questions & Answers  

1) Summary of the cell phone protocol:

Grades 9-11: Prohibited during school hours. Phones must be locked in assigned pouches and kept in backpacks. 

Grade 12: Prohibited with one exception (Senior area of the cafeteria outside of the lunch waves). Store phone away in backpack, but pouch system not required.

All students: Device access allowed for educational purposes with explicit staff approval.
 

2) Why is Darien adopting a phone-free school policy?

Students need to be able to focus, learn, interact with each other, build an in-person community, and engage with teachers.

These protocols:

• Enhance students' focus and academic performance.
• Reduce distractions in the classroom.
• Encourage students to develop better social skills through face-to-face interactions.
• Promote a healthier school environment.

3) What does the research say?

Article 1

• Banning smartphones reduces the number of consultations for psychological symptoms.
• Banning smartphones lowers the incidence of bullying for both girls and boys.
• Banning smartphones results in girls making gains in both their GPA and externally graded mathematics exams.
• The effects are particularly strong at schools with the strictest bans, requiring students to hand in or lock away their phones, not just place them on silent mode.

Article 2

• Unstructured presence of phones has detrimental academic effects on certain groups of students.
• Restricting their use can be a low-cost policy to reduce educational inequalities.

Article 3

• It can take students up to 20 minutes to refocus on what they were learning once distracted by a notification or text.
• Removing smartphones from schools in Belgium, Norway, Spain, and the United Kingdom was found to improve learning outcomes

Article 4

• Students reported improved grades, focus and social interaction.
• Fewer behavioral incidents.
• Improved academic integrity.
   

4) What is included in a phone-free device definition?

All forms of mobile telephones that enable wireless communication in any form, such as text, voice, or video.

5) Why not include other smart-enabled devices, such as watches?

Observations from staff and feedback from high school students indicated that other forms of smart-enabled hardware are easier to manage and less likely to be utilized. We wish to provide our older students with a level of trust, but we recognize technology continues to rapidly evolve. We will revisit this decision if student behavior indicates a need to do so.

6) Are students allowed to access phones during passing/transition time and during lunch?

No, phones must be stored and out of sight during the entirety of the school day. Seniors will be afforded access to their personal cell phone in the designated Senior Cafe during non-lunch blocks.

7) How will students manage their class schedule?

Students who piloted pouches in the spring found that they made the necessary adjustments to follow their schedules when they did not have access to phones

Students can check their schedule electronically before the school day and on laptops. Students may print or write a copy of their daily schedule, or utilize a daily planner.

8) What if my child needs their phone in case of a crisis or lockdown at the school?

School security experts say phones can make children less safe in crisis situations for the following reasons:

• Student use of cell phones during an unfolding emergency can distract their attention from safety and emergency response directions being given by school staff.
• Cell phone use by students can hamper rumor control and, in doing so, disrupt and delay effective public safety personnel response.
• Cell phone use by students can impede public safety response by accelerating parental and community arrival at the scene of an emergency during times when officials may be attempting to evacuate students to another site.
• Victims and worried family members trying to get through can jam communications, interfering with first responders.

9) How will parents be informed in case of an emergency during the school day?

In the unlikely event of an emergency during the school day, parents will receive communication through official channels in the same manner that happens for other unexpected events, such as weather delays. (i.e. SchoolMessenger, text, and email)

10) How do I contact my child during the school day? (i.e. schedule change, after-school activity)

Parents may contact the main school office if they need to reach their children during school hours. The office staff will relay any urgent messages to the students.

Parents and/or guardians who need to contact their student during the school day can email their student on their school email. 

11) What if my child needs to contact me during the school day?

Standard phones are available in every classroom. If a student needs to contact their parent or guardian during the school day, the student may use the classroom phone with permission from the supervising adult. If a more private conversation is necessary, a phone is available in the main office and in the school counselors’ offices.

12) Why can’t teachers be in charge of the class and collect the phones?

Students need consistency and one policy for the entire school benefits all students. Teachers benefit by regaining classroom instructional time instead of having to police phones, as monitoring phones takes time and energy away from teaching and supporting all students. 

13) Why is it important to allow our children to be independent during the school day?

Promoting student independence throughout the school day helps them build vital life skills. When students are not in constant contact with parents, they have more opportunities to develop self-confidence, resilience, and problem-solving abilities, all of which are linked to improved mental health.

14) What if my child has a medical condition that must be monitored by their cell phone?

Students will receive a non-locking velcro sealable version of the pouch system. The school will require documentation from a licensed medical professional to support an exemption such as diabetes or seizure monitoring and must go through the Health Office. This exception still prohibits cell phone use for any other purpose. 

15) What if my child has an IEP/504 plan?

It is extremely rare for a cell phone to be required for an IEP/504 plan. If the situation does arise, documentation is required and the exception is specific to the need only and still prohibits cell phone use for any other purpose. Please notify the case manager ahead of the meeting so that the school nurse is included in the invitation.

16) My child forgot their laptop or forgot to charge it. Can they use their phone?

DHS has a few alternative resources for accessing instructional programs. Students may visit the school library to temporarily check-out a Chromebook or iPad.

17) Will my DHS student be able to use their phone when they leave campus?

Yes.

Additionally, DHS Seniors may use phones in Senior Cafe during non-lunch blocks and if they leave school due to a free period. 

18) Will my child be able to use their phone on a bus?

Yes.

Students with a locking pouch will unlock it before they board buses at dismissal. Experience shows that this takes less than 2 seconds per student per unlock station. There will be multiple unlock stations available at multiple exit points.

19) What if my child forgets to unlock their pouch when they leave campus?

There will be one 24 hour unlock station outside the school building monitored by a security camera. They may come to campus and unlock the bag at any time after the regular school day.

20) Will my student have access to their phone on school-sponsored field trips or sporting events?

Cell phones are generally permitted on bus rides to and from school-sponsored events as well as at the venue, so long as the devices are used in ways that do not negatively impact the school environment.

Some events and locations may have restrictions on the use of cell phones on premises. As guests, we would be obliged to follow any of those limitations.

21) How will a sports coach communicate with my student?

Coaches and club advisors will use email and Google Classroom to communicate important information about activities and events.

22) What about in-class usage for instructional activities?

Students do not need cell phones to complete classwork. Teachers may grant permission to students to access cell phones if an educational benefit exists for accessing cell phones in an instructional block. If a student wishes to use their phone for educational purposes, they must seek permission from their teacher or a school administrator beforehand. Teachers will be provided with an unlocking device when requested in advance.

23) Will it be harder for students to make connections and friends if they are offline all day?

Social media tends to foster asynchronous interactions leading to greater levels of anxiety, loneliness, and depression. In-person socializing forms far stronger connections and supports the development of healthier social and emotional skills.

24) Don’t some students benefit from having social media?

Even for students who use social media for connection and activism, it is still a distraction during school hours. As a school community, we work hard to foster a culture of inclusion. Our goal is to limit use during the school day to minimize disruption and mitigate the potential harms of social media dependency.

25) Isn’t it better to teach students to use phones responsibly rather than take them away?

Brain science research and expert psychiatrists say the adolescent brain is not able to self-regulate the addictive pull of cell phones and social media. The social media platforms and games that young people spend so much time on were deliberately designed to be addictive. Additionally, part of teaching responsible use is creating phone-free zones that help students understand that phones are a tool to be used at specific times in specific ways, rather than being something that is on and used 24/7.

26) Where will cell phones be stored during the school day?

Students in grades 9-11 will be using an assigned personal locking bag system. These products allow students to maintain possession of personal phones in their backpacks at all times as long as the protocol is followed. Similar magnetically sealed pouch systems have been implemented in hundreds of schools around the world to facilitate an engaged learning environment.

Students in grades 9-11 should keep their cell phones turned off or in airplane mode and stored in their assigned pouch and kept in their backpacks during school hours. 

Grade 12 students similarly are asked to keep their cell phones turned off or in airplane mode and stored in their backpacks during school hours. Students in grade 12 will not be assigned a storage bag, unless they wish to use one.

Alternatively, students may leave their cell phone in their car or at home.
 

27) Why don’t the seniors have a bag?

Senior students are driving, working, and preparing for a world with technology access throughout the day. The goal is to promote their self-regulation and personal time-management. Seniors will store their phones in backpacks throughout the day. 

Seniors will be afforded space in the Senior Cafe to access their phones when it is not the lunch block. 

Seniors may choose to use a sealable pouch or leave their phone in their car, if desired. 
Violation of the cell-phone protocol will result in the assignment of a lockable bag to a senior.
 

28) The middle school does not use lockable bags. Why the high school?

Students at the middle school have individually assigned lockers for storing phones. Darien High School does not have an individual locker for every student. In addition, students at the high school have more time during the day with less structure and lower supervision. The goal of this plan is to support students in the less structured parts of their day.

29) How does it work?

Students in grades 9 -11 will be assigned one locking pouch that will remain with the student throughout the school year. It is similar in size to a pencil case and made of a flexible, soft material.

Before entering the school building, students in grades 9-11 will power off their phone (or set it to ‘airplane mode’) and place it in their assigned lockable pouch.

Students will show their pouch to staff as they enter the building, with the pouch secured. The pouch will remain with the student throughout the school day in the student’s backpack.
        
When exiting at the end of the school day, students will tap one of the magnetic unlocking stations and open the pouch.

Students in grade 12 will similarly power off or set their phone to ‘airplane mode’ and place it in their backpack prior to entering the school building.
 

30) What if my child forgets their pouch at home?

Storage for unsealed phones will be provided in the main office each day. Students will place their phone in a bin in the main office and then retrieve it before going home.

31) What if my child loses the pouch?

Similar to when a student loses an ID badge, there is a replacement fee. (Currently $30.) Until replaced, the student will store their phone in the front office each day. Students will receive a new lockable pouch after paying the fee, or may instead continue to store their phone in the front office each day.

32) What if my student does not abide by the rules and is caught with their phone out during the school day?

1st Offense: Staff member directs the student to the main office to meet with an administrator.  The administrator and student call home to report the incident to their parent.  The phone will remain in the main office for the day and the phone will be returned to the student at the end of the day. 

2nd Offense: Staff member directs the student to the main office to meet with an administrator.  The administrator and student call home to report the incident to their parent. A parent or guardian must pick up the phone in the main office at the end of the school day.
  
3rd Offense: Staff member directs the student to the main office to meet with an administrator.  A parent or guardian must pick up the phone in the main office. Saturday Detention will be assigned. If the student is a senior, this student will also be assigned a locking bag.

If a student continues to have self-regulation issues, consequences will escalate as appropriate for increased violation of school rules including in-school suspension and/or limits on participation in extracurricular activities.  Additional support will be offered by school counselors on a case-by-case basis.
 

33) What happens with confiscated cell phones?

Confiscated devices will be stored in a secure location in the school office area to prevent damage, loss, or unauthorized access.

34) What if my child refuses to comply?

Please help us support your child by discussing the importance of this change in practice.

Students who refuse to comply with directives related to confiscation of phones may be subject to further discipline. See our student handbook for information about discipline and insubordination.