Making an Unpopular Decision in the Best Interest of Students: A Teaching Case Exploring a Ban on Student Cell Phone Use

Abstract

Motivated by concerns about student safety and reports of decreased student achievement, this teaching case follows a principal and her leadership team as they explore implementing a ban on student cell phone use in their school. The teaching notes include activities designed to strengthen the skills that K–12 school leaders can use when faced with making potentially unpopular decisions about divisive issues in their schools and school communities. Activities include developing a pro/con grid, semiscripted and improvised role play, and a three-columned chart designed to encourage current and prospective school leaders to identify opportunities for discretionary decision-making to support the best interests of students.

Case Narrative

On a Monday morning in the beginning of June, Dani Hendriks, the principal of Dalecreek Secondary School, had just finished a difficult meeting with a parent about their cyberbullying concerns. As she left the main office to start her walkthrough and visit some classrooms, a ninth-grade student bumped into her at full speed. Dani and the student stumbled into lockers while pencils, notebooks, and other school supplies flew across the floor. After steadying herself and ensuring the student was not hurt, Dani bent down to help collect the student’s belongings. She then heard the student yell, “OMG, you made me drop my phone!” Dani realized that the student had not seen her because they had been watching a TikTok video. The student huffed off and Dani resumed her schedule; despite visiting a couple classrooms and checking in with teachers and educational assistants, Dani could not stop ruminating about her run-in with the student.

This year had been the most challenging of Dani’s career. Although student discipline had always been a large part of the principal role, addressing problematic behaviors had become a bigger part of her job over the past year. She attributed some of these concerns to the changing demographics in the school and its community. For example, when she had started working at Dalecreek as an educational assistant 25 years ago, the school and surrounding community was predominantly rural without much visible and linguistic diversity. In the years since Dani became an administrator—as vice-principal 10 years ago and as principal 4 years later—the area had changed drastically: The region became a “bedroom community” for a big and bustling Midwestern city a 1-hr drive away and the school had seen increasing enrollment as a result. More recently, Dalecreek and the Brooksdale School Division in general had also welcomed hundreds of Ukrainian refugees who immigrated to the region since the beginning of the Russian invasion in February 2022. Dalecreek was built to serve 1,650 students and has been struggling to meet the needs of 2,200; the school has been bursting at the seams, and issues that were difficult to resolve with fewer students, such as cell phone use, have become almost impossible with the school serving far more students it should.

The addictive nature and tantalizing pull of cell phones and social media has had a profound effect on Dalecreek’s student population. Students have been distracted in class, which has affected the quality of teaching and learning at the school (Ravizza et al., 2014; Smale et al., 2021). However, there are tensions among the faculty. Many teachers want the school to develop policies limiting cell phone use in the school, but a small group of tech-savvy educators are trying to use the power of mobile devices to spur student engagement. For example, these teachers use their own cellphones in the classroom to post about school events on social media to amplify all of the amazing opportunities that Dalecreek provides both students and the broader school community. Although these two groups of teachers disagree on the role of cell phones and social media in contemporary K–12 schooling, they did agree that the current situation is untenable. Another issue related to cell phone use that the school has to manage includes cyberbullying, which has also led to an influx of student mental health concerns, including higher rates of anxiety and depression (Smale et al., 2021; Sun et al., 2022). As the principal, Dani also needed to consider the perceptions of parents and guardians regarding student cell phone use in the school. She wanted the school to be a place where students could learn free of distractions, but she also wanted Dalecreek to be a positive and welcoming space for all members of the school community.

The Breaking Point

Shortly after completing her walkthrough, Christoph, one of her vice-principals, burst through her office door. He had spent most of his weekend and all morning trying to get his head around the cyberbullying issue and wanted an update on Dani’s parent meeting earlier in the day. Shortly after school had ended on the previous Friday, Dani received three different phone calls from concerned parents of tenth-grade students. Each of them told her they were worried for their child’s safety after being made aware of a disturbing Instagram post where a ninth-grade student tagged the tenth graders’ accounts, stating that they would get “vengeance.” Dani immediately called Christoph and asked him to investigate the situation. He discovered that the tenth-grade students created an Instagram group profile and had been sharing disparaging comments about the ninth-grade student for several months. The ninth grader was unaware that these posts existed until having a run-in with one of the tenth graders on the soccer field before school started on Friday morning. The ninth-grade student’s science teacher mentioned that they appeared upset when leaving at the end of the school day. A few hours later, the ninth-grade student uploaded the post that sparked the investigation.

After Christoph explained the situation, Dani sighed:

The post was scary, and the parents have a right to be concerned. But their kids aren’t innocent here and the parents probably don’t even know what has been happening. Even though cyberbullying can reach these kids anytime, anywhere on their cell phones, everyone looks to us to pick up the pieces and put the puzzle together.

Christoph was exasperated:

We shouldn’t even have to deal with this stuff. It’s not like it’s even happening at the school. We should seriously consider banning cell phones in schools. Maybe then I’d be able to actually focus on more than student discipline and feel like a vice-principal instead of an internet detective.

Dani knew that several school districts and individual schools in states like Ohio, Pennsylvania, and California had banned the use of cell phones in classes in an effort to eliminate many of the disciplinary and mental health concerns that had been plaguing Dalecreek over the past year (St. George, 2023). However, a cell phone ban was not something she had actively considered until she was confronted with the both the distractions created by cell phones in schools, as well as gravity of the current cyberbullying situation. At this point, Dani and Christoph started charting a path forward.

Dani told Christoph,

You follow up with the parents. All four of these students have lost their cell phone privileges at school, but you’re right. This is a larger issue that goes beyond these four kids, and we need to get control of the situation. I’ll reach out to the superintendent and see if we can get a ban in place for the new school year.

Christoph agreed. “These kids are so addicted to their phones that it’s becoming impossible for us to keep them safe in the school, let alone educate them.” Dani asked Christoph if he was prepared to enforce a ban if they moved in that direction.

“Oh, I’ll enforce it,” Christoph responded.

“Good, but is enforcement enough?” Dani wondered aloud:

We set the tone for the school so it’s important that we model any behaviors we want to see in staff and students. If we push for a ban on cell phones, we will have to make sure that we are not answering emails or looking at our phones around the students. That would be like rubbing salt in an open wound.

Christoph laughed and reaffirmed his support for Dani’s position. As Christoph left her office, Dani called out that she would examine their options and keep him in the loop before approaching staff and parents, or consulting with the district office.

Going It Alone

At this point, Dani realized she had three options for moving forward: (a) pursuing a school-wide cell phone ban, (b) restricting student cell phone use to the hallways or other noninstructional areas of the school, or (c) maintaining the status quo. Without a district- or state-level policy surrounding the specific use of cell phones in the classroom, Dani had the agency to pursue the option she felt was in the best interests of her students, although she would need approval from the superintendent and broader district leadership team to move forward. She realized, however, that her efforts would be in vain without parental support and buy-in from the school’s teaching staff. Dani understood that any decision she made would not please everyone, but she felt compelled to do her due diligence to ensure that she was able to maintain a safe, orderly, and positive school climate that was conducive to student learning. A complicating factor that she had to take into consideration is the increased knowledge about the impact the cell phone use can have on adolescent students beyond immediate forms of distraction in the classroom. For example, frequent cell phone use is associated with a host of youth mental health concerns, including suicide ideation, self-harm (Abi-Jaoude et al., 2020) and decreased emotional regulation abilities (Extremera et al., 2019). Others have identified impaired cognitive function, unhealthy eating habits and reduced levels of physical fitness in adolescents and young adults who engage in unhealthy levels of cell phone use (Wacks & Weinstein, 2021). Given that a move to restrict or ban the use of cellphones in the school would have ramifications for how teachers managed their classrooms and communicated with parents and the community, Dani decided to bring up the idea of banning cell phones at the year-end staff meeting scheduled at the end of the month. If there was widespread support for a ban among her teaching staff, introducing the idea at the year-end staff meeting would provide teachers with several months to develop ways to re-engage students who had become accustomed to being distracted by their phones during lessons. She also knew some of them would likely use this time to seek out effective classroom management strategies to navigate the transition to phone-free classrooms. Dani felt the views and perspectives of parents could also be swayed by the knowledge that teachers and other staff saw instructional value in limiting the use of cell phones at school, both in terms of the quality of teaching and learning, as well as improved student behavior outcomes. This was important as Dani and the rest of her administrative team planned on consulting the parent council after getting the teachers’ perspectives.

The Staff Meeting

After Christoph and Dani thanked Dalecreek’s teachers for the hard work, energy, and passion they had invested into the school over the past year, Dani introduced the idea of implementing a ban on student cell phone use that would start at the beginning of the next school year. Both Dani and Christoph indicated that they were considering making this move due to the impact that cell phones were having on student engagement, achievement, and mental health. The jovial and cheerful end-of-year atmosphere immediately became tense. A teacher named Sachin immediately stood up.

“Honestly, I wouldn’t have accepted the job at this school if I knew my real job would involve policing student cell phone use. We get into arguments with students about removing their hats, the last thing I want to do is waste precious class time trying to take students’ phones away.” Several other teachers supported Sachin’s perspective and seemed dismayed at the prospect of being forced to confront defiant students to implement the ban in their classrooms. Another well-respected teacher with several years of experience in the school stood up.

“Let’s bring some evidence into this conversation. Research shows that there is more reporting of cyberbullying at schools that did ban cell phones (Eanes, 2019). I build relationships with families and the community based on the premise that school is a safe place to send their kids, and now you’re asking me to compromise that?” Dani was unfazed. “Cyberbullying and students being distracted during class are two different issues that would require different solutions. It will be nice not having to devote hours to investigating cyberbullying, but we need to continue ensuring students are safe at school. The reality is that we need to do something so students are engaged and able to focus on what we’re teaching them.”

Dani’s humility shifted the tone of the meeting. As soon as she finished speaking, another teacher spoke up. “The whole reason why we provide students with laptops, tablets and other devices is because being connected to the internet is viewed as a tool for learning. Rather than increasing the quality of teaching and learning at this school, cell phones have had the opposite effect.”

After a few more teachers shared their perspectives, Dani asked for a quick show of hands to determine whether most staff would support a ban on cell phones in the school. Most of her teaching staff indicated they would support the measure. To redirect the conversation away from a strict discussion of cell phone policies—or the lack thereof—Dani asked teachers to use chart paper to document their best teaching moment during the school year. After thanking the teachers for their input and adjourning the meeting, Dani and Christoph took a second look at the collection of teachable moments that adorned the walls of the room. They noted that very few of them involved cell phones or other devices.

Swaying the Superintendent

Armed with the knowledge that most of her teaching staff supported a ban on cell phones in the school, Dani’s next move was broaching the idea with her superintendent. The superintendent was initially surprised that Dani and her administrative team were pursuing a school-level directive absent preliminary discussions with senior district leadership. However, the superintendent left the meeting impressed with the case that Dani had built to support the idea of limiting cell phone use at Dalecreek. The persuasive evidence, including recent research exploring the impact of cell phones on student mental health and the quality of teaching and learning in schools (e.g., Smale et al., 2021; Sun et al., 2022) was enough to convince the superintendent to grant Dani the agency to develop a policy that banned Dalecreek students from using cell phones during regular school hours. The superintendent mentioned that the perspectives Dani had shared from the teachers during the year-end staff meeting were especially convincing. Toward the end of the meeting, however, the superintendent added a caveat.

“You have an active parent council that has a strong understanding of the needs and concerns of the broader school community. If they support the ban, you have my approval to go ahead and do what is in the best interests of the folks you serve.” Although Dani was excited and a little relieved that she had the support of her superintendent, she was concerned that parents would not be receptive to the idea. However, given that many teachers and her superintendent expressed support for limiting the use of cell phones in the school, Dani felt that she could build a strong case to convince the school’s parent council to develop and enforce a school-level policy banning or limiting the use of cellphones at Dalecreek.

Teaching Notes

This case is designed to highlight how some issues that principals face, such as students using cell phones in classrooms, are becoming increasingly polarized. Principals and other school leaders are often required to use professional discretion when making decisions that may be unpopular with students, teachers, parents, and other stakeholders. This case is intended for graduate students studying educational leadership and policy, including current leaders reflecting on their practice, as well as aspiring school leaders in principal preparation programs. The three activities associated with this case will allow participants to compare and contrast different perspectives regarding students’ use of cell phones in schools, which provides a window into the tensions principals experience when engaged in decision-making processes. Put simply, part of being a contemporary school leader is making challenging decisions and navigating situations where groups have competing and sometimes overlapping goals. Although it is impossible for school leaders to please everyone, prioritizing the best interests of students when making difficult decisions may diffuse some of the tension when emotionally challenging situations emerge in their daily work. The three teaching activities below are meant to provide current and prospective principals with tools they can use when faced with making potentially unpopular decisions about divisive issues in their school and school community.

Activity 1: Pro/Con Grid

A pro/con grid activity encourages participants to engage in a 360-degree assessment of an issue or situation (Barkley & Major, 2015; Chang & Wang, 2011; Davidson, 2009). Although most students will already know where they stand in relation to divisive issues related to contemporary schooling, this activity pushes them to consider and compare different viewpoints to better understand how individuals on opposite sides of an argument approach divisive issues and to cultivate a sense of empathy for those with differing viewpoints. In this way, participants can move past their own preconceived notions to gain an appreciation for other perspectives (Barkley & Major, 2015; Faubert et al., 2019). The following questions and directions, derived from the case description, can serve as useful starting points for this activity:

1. What are the pros and cons of a cell phone ban in schools?

2. List the challenges and possibilities Dani faces when advocating to ban cell phone at the school when they are prevalent and seemingly everywhere in contemporary societies.

3. Describe some of the tensions associated with school leaders (in this case, Dani and Christoph) leading investigations into cyberbullying situations that are perpetrated away from the school site?

4. How does a principals’ legal responsibilities clash with the realities of operating schools in your jurisdiction?

One of the main benefits of a pro/con grid is its flexibility (Faubert et al., 2019). The activity can take anywhere between 5 and 30 min depending on the instructor’s goals and learning objectives. The grid can be completed individually, in small groups, or in whole-class settings. Instructors may also find value in structuring pro/con grid activities to allow participants to initially complete the activity alone, then share and compare their grid with others prior to taking up the activity with the whole class. Using responses from all participants to collaboratively create a master list of pros and cons is another way instructors can extend learning and encourage deeper reflection as a group.

Instructors can also incorporate other approaches to this activity. For example, Millis (2014) described a variation called a pro/con caveat grid. In this version of the activity, participants construct grids individually before coming together in small groups to develop a revised grid composed of the best ideas from the individual pro/con grids. The revised grid is then shared with another group, and participants are encouraged to determine where the grids align and where they contradict each other, and to identify the most exciting and surprising aspects of their new grid.

Activity 2: Simulated Parent Council Meeting Role Play

The case demonstrated how one principal dealt with a polarizing topic. Role play and simulation-based activities can encourage participants to see contentious or divisive topics from different perspectives (Campos et al., 2020; Kettula & Berghäll, 2013), which can narrow the theory–practice gap in K–12 educational administration. For example, inhabiting a character with a different viewpoint than their own can allow a participant to identify the lenses through which they view a dilemma and how these lenses may differ from the other stakeholders they encounter in their daily work (Author, 2020). This simulated role play activity is designed to be an effective tool in both online and in-person classroom settings.

Suggested Additional Reading

Smale, W. T., Hutcheson, R., & Russo, C. J. (2021). Cell phones, student rights, and school safety: Finding the right balance. Canadian Journal of Educational Administration and Policy, 195, 49–64. https://doi.org/10.7202/1075672ar

Sun, Z., Zhou, Y., Zhang, Y., Gui, B., & Liu, Z. (2022). Exploring deeper causes linking adolescents’ mental disorders to mobile phone use problems: Grounded theory approach. JMIR Formative Research, 6(2), e31089. https://doi:10.2196/31089

Engaging with these resources will allow students to bring an evidence-informed perspective to their character in the simulated parent council role play activity. For example, the Smale et al. (2021) article highlights several drawbacks of having cell phones in K–12 schools, including negative impacts on student behavior, learning and well-being. Furthermore, reviewing Sun et al. (2022) will provide students with a better sense of the connections between adolescent mental health concerns and use of cell phones.

Role Play Scenario

There are several different scripted and improvisational role play scenarios associated with this case. Dani’s initial meeting with Christoph, her meeting with the superintendent, and the teacher staff meeting can be dramatized or improvised to explore the different views, perspectives, and forms of evidence that need to be considered as part of administrative decision-making processes in contemporary K–12 schools. The case concluded with Dani indicating that a parent council meeting is the final step in her decision-making process. Given that K–12 school leaders are increasingly expected to cultivate parental involvement in their schools (Barr & Saltmarsh, 2014; DeMatthews et al., 2020), participants can act out the parent council meeting. Role play scenarios that ask current and prospective school leaders to either interact with or take on the roles of parents can help them better understand the different ways principals and vice-principals manage relationships with students and their families. Below, we have included a sample script that instructors can use to motivate participants to get started with this activity. Participants or instructors can either develop an ending for this script, or create their own script based on the case narrative.

Characters:

• Principal Dani

• Various parents attending the parent council meeting

Principal Dani finishes telling the parent council that most teachers are supportive of a cellphone ban.

Parent 1:

My child worked hard to earn that phone. It is a symbol of their independence and if they couldn’t handle it, I wouldn’t let them have it!

Dani:

I understand your concerns, but we suspect that student cell phone use is related to student being distracted in class, a decrease in achievement and increases in student mental health concerns. If parents like yourself are worried about being able to reach your child in the event of an emergency, they can call the school office if they need to contact their child during school hours.

Parent 2:

There is no way the school can replace the sense of safety I feel knowing my child has a cellphone at school. Calling the office to reach them is not the same level of connection.

Parent 3:

Come on. When we went to school there weren’t any cellphones. I get that we want to meet students where they are at, and they love being on their phones, but how can we expect them to focus on academics when texting, the internet, and social media are at their fingertips.

Dani:

Great point. Teachers keep saying they are a massive distraction in the classroom.

Parent 4:

If cell phones are a distraction, teachers need to change their approach to ensure that students are engaged. Teachers should be able to create lessons that are more interesting than a phone.

Parent 5:

Maybe I am bringing a different perspective because I support limits on when students can use their cellphones at school and at home. I can barely get through a conversation without looking at my phone, so are we asking teachers to fight a losing battle if we expect them to compete against a cellphone for a teenager’s attention?

Dani:

Would it bring value to the conversation if I shared some of the evidence about how the use of cellphones in the classroom can affect the quality of teaching and learning, as well as student mental health, can be adversely affected by allowing cellphones in the classroom?

The Meeting Continues

After participants have dramatized the scenario and improvised their own ending, instructors can use the following questions as prompts to guide a discussion and extend participants’ learning after they have engaged in the role play activity.

1. Do you have any initial thoughts or feelings about the scenario? For example, did it feel realistic or fictional?

2. What was your character fighting for in the scenario? What was your character’s motivation?

3. Do your own thoughts and perspectives differ from those shared by your character in the scenario?

4. How were the tactics that you used in the scenario effective at achieving your character’s goals? If not, how could you approach the scenario differently next time?

5. Can you think of any other realistic alternate endings for this scenario?

6. Were you surprised by any of the choices or tactics used by others in the scenario? If so, why?

Activity 3: Improvised “Speed Debate” Role Play

The following improvised speed dating activity is an example of a role play opportunity for two participants at a time. In the first round, one participant plays Dani and the other plays a member of the school’s parent council. The participant playing Dani has 5 min to convince their scene partner that the school administration is justified in banning students’ use of cellphones. The participant playing the role of the parent then has 5 min to convince their scene partner that the school administration has erred and overstepped its boundaries. After both partners participate, they switch roles and repeat the activity. When repeating the activity, instructors should encourage participants to come up with new reasons and a different rationale to justify their stance(s) on the issue than those their partner previously used.