As the ‘24-’25 school year kicked off, students were met with a strong reminder that this year, Notre Dame would be cracking down on phones. 

Mr. Dill, Notre Dame Dean of Men, emphasized, “We don’t have any new rules; they are the same rules we have always had. The difference is we are going to be enforcing them better. And that means, as per the old rule, the phones need to be in the backpack during the day. Off and in the backpack, never in the student’s pocket.”

If any faculty or staff member sees a student’s phone “[they] are going to confiscate the phone, [the student] will pick it up after school, and the student will get a two hour detention,” said Dill.

But why is ND taking a hard stance on phones this year?

Mr. Dill stated that the primary reason for the increased enforcement is “the rise in academic dishonesty, [thought] using phones.” He said, “We’ve had students use apps in math class, taking a picture of an equation, which gives you all the work and the answer.”

Another reason the phone rule is being enforced this year is that phones can be a huge distraction during class. 

“We have read about studies [showing] that if students aren’t allowed to have their phone, they use the restroom 70% less of the time,  because most of those were phone visits, not restroom visits,” Mr. Dill said. 

In relation to learning, a 2022 study reported that students learn better without their phones. 

Based on a New York Institute of Technology experiment, in which students spent six weeks learning with and without their phones, the study concluded that “the people who did not have their phones had lower levels of anxiety, high levels of course comprehension and high levels of mindfulness,” Melissa Huey, co-author of the study and assistant professor of psychology at NY Tech, said. 

So how does the ND community feel about this? 

While many teachers’ thoughts can be summed up in the wise words of Mrs. Branconier, an AP Biology teacher at ND: “I’m happy to have [a ban on phone use] happen at Notre Dame High School, because it’s great to see you guys focus in class and socialize with each other outside.” 

Not all students share the same sentiment.  

Marcelo Guerrero ‘27 said, “I think it’s good for the teachers, but for the students, I feel like it might be a little bit annoying, just ‘cause maybe our family members might be trying to contact us.”

If parents do want to contact their students during the school day, they can call the school with a message to pass along, or they can email their student. Likewise, students can contact their parents by going to the main office to make a phone call. 

Other students, like Francesca Rodriguez ‘27, find that the stricter rules are stressful. Rodriguez said, “They’re taking [phones] during class too, [and] I have to [silence] my phone ‘cause I’m scared it’s gonna go off.” 

While the rule is that phones must be in students’ backpacks and powered off during the day, many teachers are having students put their phones in pockets or caddies that sit at the front of their classroom during class. This ensures that students are not using their phones.

Lastly, Marcelo Lee ‘27 said, “I don’t like putting your phones into the pockets. I think that’s really annoying and we could just keep them in our backpacks.” 

Mostly, students are in support of the phone crackdown. 

Maddison Ranney ‘27 said, “I’m not bothered by it. I feel like it’s the same as last year, just people are paying more attention to it.”

Sutton Riley-Smythe ‘28 agrees and said, “I don’t think phones should be allowed because it takes away from human interaction during nutrition and lunch.”

But is this crack down just at ND?

Mrs. Zaphiriou, Honors Algebra I and II teacher, said, “I know that LAUSD is also going to crack-down on phones. They’re doing a grace period this semester, and then next semester it’s going to be ‘keep your phone in your backpack all day.’ So this is a trend that is not just happening at Notre Dame.”

The crackdown on phones is actually a nationwide event. 

Washington Post writers, Laura Meckler, Hannah Natanson and Karina Elwood, reported, “Of the nation’s 20 largest school districts, at least seven forbid use of cellphones during the school day or plan to do so, while at least another seven impose significant restrictions, such as barring use during class time but permitting phones during lunch or when students are between classes.” 

Asa Thomson, a sophomore at John Marshall High School in Los Angeles said, “We have to have [our phones] in our backpacks during class.” Like many schools, If the teacher at John Marshall sees a phone out they will take it away and the student will have to get it back from the teacher at the end of the day. However, Thomson said that no one actually follows the rules. 

Ivy Reitz, a sophomore at Immaculate Heart High School in Los Angeles said, “You are supposed to have your phone in your backpack at all times, unless instructed by a teacher to take it out during class. And you can call your parents by going to the principal’s office. If they see you with your phone out – it depends on the teacher – but they can take your phone away, give you detention, and sometimes they take it away for the whole weekend if it’s a Friday, and you have to get it back on Monday.” They have to get the phone back from the dean. “But students don’t really follow that. I see students with their phones all the time.” said Reitz. 

Phone rules will always be different across all schools, but because administrators have found that phones have a negative impact on student’s learning and social life, many school rules on phones will become more strict going forward.

As far as the phone rules are concerned, there are no new rules, and these existing guidelines are here to stay. ND is moving forward, and while the phone rules may cause some minor inconveniences, students have generally adhered to them. So far, so good.