At University High School in Waco, English teacher Sydney Keleher says there's one sound missing from her classroom this semester — the buzz of cellphones.
Keleher, now in her second year of teaching, already had a no-phone policy in place. But she says enforcing it was often a struggle.
"I was afraid this would increase the battle between teachers and students," Keleher said. "It's easier now to say, 'Put it up — it's the law,' rather than 'Put it up because it's my rule.'"
House Bill 1481 prohibits students from using cellphones or other personal communication devices during the school day. It took effect September 1, though most school districts started implementation in August when school began. The Waco ISD policy requires phones to be turned off and out of sight while on campus.
Keleher says fewer distractions are helping students focus.
"That improves their grades, which improves their test scores," she said.
Florida was the first state to implement a school phone ban two years ago. A new study suggests that policy could be contributing to higher student test scores — and Keleher says she's beginning to see similar results in her own classroom.
But the changes aren't just academic. Students say they're also spending more time talking to one another.
"There's definitely more people together and actually talking instead of just sitting on their phones," said Veenay, a University High sophomore. "Friend groups are closer now."
That's what's surprised Keleher most.
"They're learning how to socialize again," she said. "It's a beautiful thing to see."
Administrators say they're also noticing a resurgence of old-school tech — students bringing Polaroid and digital cameras to document school life.
"It's funny, but kind of cool," said Kylie, another sophomore. "It's like we're finding ways to make memories again."
Still, not everyone is sold on the statewide ban. Some parents have raised concerns about phone access during emergencies, and a group of students in Houston launched a petition this summer to stop the law from taking effect.
Among those initially wary was Oli Pettigrew, a Lorena parent who voiced his concerns in a video on his Facebook page That Englishman in Texas.
But after talking with his daughter Tia, a senior at Lorena High School, Pettigrew says he changed his mind.
"Whenever we had free time, I would want to talk to people and most everyone would be on their phones," Tia said. "Now it's like everyone kind of has to talk to each other."
Tia said the change has helped strengthen her friendships, but it's also come with challenges. She used her phone to listen to music, which helped her focus, and in her AP art class, she relied on it for taking and submitting reference photos.
"A lot of the things we do are based off references," she said.
Now, she said, many of those resources are blocked on her school-issued Chromebook.
"I haven't gotten any work done," she said.
Waco ISD administrators told KWBU that students taking dual-credit courses through McLennan Community Collegehave faced similar issues, since logging into college websites requires two-factor authentication, typically through a phone app.
Pettigrew says that while he supports the intent of the law, he hopes lawmakers will fine-tune it.
"I think the people that brought the law in can say, 'All right, there are certain situations where clearly we've gone too far,'" he said. "And they should be able to adapt."
Got a tip? Email Molly-Jo Tilton at Molly-jo_tilton@baylor.edu.
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