(WXYZ) — It is back-to-school time for Michigan students in just a few weeks, and as students pack up their backpacks and notebooks, in some school districts, they can leave their phones at home.
Watch Ruta's story in the video player below:
That’s because a few dozen districts have now fully banned cell phones in schools, including most recently the Anchor Bay School District near the New Baltimore area.
Jamie Pietron has been teaching for 25 years. She’s been in the classroom when the only tech students had on them were some headphones and a portable CD player. But technology has come a long way.
"It's really changed into this monster almost," said Pietron, president of the Anchor Bay Education Association.
The monster she’s referring to? Cell phones that students are just refusing to put away in class.
"And they can literally now use their phones on anything and take a picture. And use whatever program they're using and it will tell them the answer to anything," she said.
Superintendent of the Anchor Bay School District Phil Jankowski says something needed to be done. So when the new school year begins, so does their brand new "away for the day" policy.
"We had some concerns, just basically with students that just seemed overly fixated on their devices, and it was challenging for teachers in order to get attention," said Jankowski.
From the first bell in the morning to the end of school bell, no phones are allowed for students.
“They do not like it, they are not happy about it," said Kylie Ahern, a 2025 Anchor Bay graduate.
"You're only in your teacher's class for an hour or a few hours a day. Let's make education the focus during the day," said Sheri Boura, an Anchor Bay parent.
There are mixed opinions from students and parents about the policy, sure. Superintendent Jankowski says the new policy has about 60 percent support from parents, with the other 40 saying communication with their children, like in a time of crisis, is something they do not want to go without.
“That’s another very important thing, in case something does happen, kids should be able to reach their parents," said Ahern.
Jankowski says if parents need to reach out to their kids during the day, they can call the office and they'll relay the message.
"And that is how we did it before cell phones," he said.
Out of the hundreds of school districts across the state of Michigan, only about 30 have outright banned all cell phone use. Republican state Rep. Mark Tisdel has a bill that he’s been working on since 2023 to change that to all districts in the state.
"The problem with the smartphones is you never put them away," said Rep. Tisdel.
Multiple states, like Ohio and New York, already have something similar in place. And while it may not be for this upcoming school year, Rep. Tisdel is certain this is a bipartisan issue that can be voted on soon and passed.
"I think the bill in one form or another will pass. We will have statewide standards. And now it's just a question of when," he said.
With the change at Anchor Bay, teachers, like Pierton, will now become enforcers of the rule, a rule they say they can get behind to improve academic performance and reduce distractions.
"Enforcement of that, I think is going to be kind of an interesting thing to watch, but I think overall most teachers are very supportive of it because we know that something has to be done," she said.
