How one Atlanta high school is responding to the personal device ban

That ban went into effect at the start of this school year. 

At the beginning of the day, students lock their phones, smart devices and earbuds into a personal Yondr pouch distributed by the school, according to Cheryl Nahmias, a student support program specialist at Midtown. “When they leave at 3:30, they unlock them using magnets placed all around the building,” she says.

“So effectively from 8:30 to 3:30, our campus is device free,” she adds.

Nahmias is in charge of making sure the policy runs smoothly. She also helped bring it to life.

“Both common sense and the data told us that cell phones were having a really negative impact on our students,” she says. 

For her, those impacts are largely two-fold. First, cell phones distract from the social and academic richness of school. Second, social media can have a “deleterious” effect on youth mental health, especially for young women. 

These factors are also animating other schools to go device-free, in Georgia and across the U.S. 

Though the policy is still fresh at Midtown, Nahmias says “the boost in staff morale is incredible.”

“They’ve just reported that this is the best opening to school they’ve had in years,” she says with a smile. “Students are talking, students are engaged, people are laughing… it’s a vibe.”

Schloss — and a decent crop of her peers at Midtown — feel the vibe. 

She says relationships are getting stronger now that things are “old school.”

Schloss is mostly a fan of the policy herself. She says she’s not incredibly attached to her phone and has always paid attention at school. 

But there are a couple things still on her mind. 

One concern is how students will communicate with their parents. 

As one of the policy coordinators, Nahmias has been thinking about the same — mostly for emergencies. 

But, if the school had a “true emergency,” she says, “kids are way safer if they’re not on cell phones.” 

But Nahmias recognizes that not having one’s cell phone during an emergency could be anxiety-inducing, both for students and their parents. 

“That’s a very valid feeling,” she continues. “But you have to weigh that against the very real concern — and our main priority,” which is keeping kids safe.

As for ordinary communication, students are allowed to call their parents in the school counselor’s suite. Midtown also uses an online messaging platform that parents can sign up for in lieu of texting.

But that adds another thing for busy parents to juggle, says Schloss, adding that her mother is one of those parents.  

Another concern for Schloss is that phones are a big part of how young folks connect and document their memories. Students won’t be able to do that in the school day anymore. 

But Schloss says she knows they will adapt. 

“That’s when memories come into play,” she says. “Memories are something that we just have to treasure, whether that memory can be seen digitally or not.”