Westport Public Schools first introduced a phone ban in November 2025. According to the Board of Education, screen time was a fundamental issue for socialization and a distraction from learning, and they wanted to reduce it during the school day.
Staples High School, prior to November of 2025, allowed phones, airpods and smartwatches during the day. This allowed students to freely go on their phones during free periods and the lunch period while still requiring students to put their phones up in cubby holders at the start of class.
“I don’t know if I expected Staples to enact a Bell to Bell policy, but it has definitely been something that I have bragged about to fellow teachers and students in other districts,” math teacher Catherine Hall said. “While students may not have agreed with the policy, I hope they realize that it has made them interact with their peers far more than they used to.”
Some students who disapproved of the phone ban at first started to enjoy it once realizing nobody else would be on their phones.
“My favorite thing about the ban is actually being able to talk with friends at lunch and socialize,” Edison Kousky ’28 said.
Because students don’t have access to their phones throughout the day, teachers are noticing a shift in attitude between both peers and faculty. However keeping screens away in the classroom still seems to be an issue.
“Some students have found alternative ways to access distractions through their computers,” science teacher Amy Cavaliere said. “This can make it challenging to fully address off-task behavior and requires continued monitoring of technology use in the classroom.”
Though Apple Macbooks do allow the same controls as an Iphone, teachers have applauded the ban as it contributes to less distraction throughout a class period. Though this policy has only been in place for a little under a year, students and staff are already noticing the improvements being made. There are currently no plans to overturn the phone ban going into the 2026-27 school year, and it is evident that this screen-free approach has provided the benefits the administration sought out to see since 2025.
“I think moving forward, we’re going to obviously restart the process of informing students, so when we come back in August, and we have our assemblies, we’re certainly going to be back in the forefront to reinforce it.” Principal Stafford W. Thomas Jr said.
The ban not only helped students connect more with their peers but also allowed for creativity away from the device, as the courtyard is currently packed with students playing hack sack and enjoying the outdoor weather.
“I believe that the phone ban benefitted social interactions between students.” Leila Stein ’26 said. “The hallways and cafeteria have been much more lively since the ban.”
