Some Eastern Iowa schools are implementing stricter cellphone policies, while Iowa Gov. Kim Reynolds recently stated she would pursue a statewide ban on personal devices in classrooms.

In late November, Reynolds said she would urge state legislators to pursue a law banning cellphones in classrooms to curb bullying and increase the focus of students. The push comes as several states across the country implement and discuss cellphone bans.

At its Dec. 10 meeting, the Iowa City Community School District Board of Directors concluded months of discussions on a new cellphone policy by deciding to update its current rules. The new policy will only allow cellphones and other personal devices to be used during non-instructional times, such as passing periods and lunch.

If the devices are seen by an instructor, the device is to be confiscated and taken to the office for the remainder of the school day. This applies to any instance of a device being used when it’s not supposed to be, no matter if it’s a student’s first offense or a repeat offense.

This policy will be communicated to families, students, and staff in the coming weeks. The changes will be implemented by Jan. 21.

In discussions on this policy change, school board members have cited concerns with disruptions from students being on their phones as cause for the change.

This policy is similar to that of other school districts in Johnson County. The Clear Creek Amana Community School District, which is located in Oxford, Iowa, has a policy that states phones and other personal devices should only be used outside of the classroom, such as passing periods and lunch.

While outright bans on cellphones have yet to make it to some public schools, a number of Eastern Iowa private schools have implemented stricter policies.

Hillcrest Academy, a private middle and high school in Kalona, Iowa, implemented a cellphone ban that began this school year.

The policy states students must turn in their cellphones and personal devices at the beginning of the school day. The devices are then held in the office for the school day and are returned to the students at the end of the day.

If a parent must get a hold of a student, they can email the student’s school email address or call the office. Students can also use the office’s phone to contact their parents if needed.

Hillcrest Principal Dwight Gingerich said this policy came from concerns about students being distracted and the mental health impacts of social media and cyberbullying. According to the Kaiser Family Foundation, a nonprofit that studies health policy, around nine out of 10 U.S. public schools reported cyberbullying among students in 2023.

This policy has been well-received by staff, parents, and students, Gingerich said.

“Several of us — primarily me, and maybe one or two people — go around and pick [the devices] up every morning, and it’s really gone smooth,” Gingerich said. “The pushback isn’t really there. Kids have been very cooperative.”

Other private schools have not considered a policy like Hillcrest Academy’s but have a stricter policy than the Iowa City Community School District’s. At Regina Catholic Education Center, a private school in Iowa City, phones are gathered by teachers at the beginning of each class and returned at the end of class for students in seventh through 12th grade.

This policy has been in place for the last couple of years, Glenn Plummer, Regina’s junior and senior high school principal, said.

An outright ban on phones in school has not been considered for Regina, Plummer said.

“I understand that phones are part of their lives, and teaching them to be responsible with their phone use, I think, is more important than just taking it away,” Plummer said.

RELATED: Iowa City school district implements personal device policy for schools

In the Iowa City Community School District, students have expressed mixed feelings about the policy change. At the Dec. 10 meeting, some students expressed fear about potentially not having access to their phones during an emergency, while some students did not see the policy having a negative impact.

In an interview with The Daily Iowan, Flora Zhu, a senior at West High School, said she sees the district’s new policy as a good thing that will help with student engagement in the classroom. It also sets a more consistent standard that each school can follow rather than having different rules around cellphone use, she said.

In terms of any future legislation on cellphone use in classrooms, Zhu said the decision to ban cellphone use should come from school districts and not from the state.

“I think the state should be allowed to say, ‘OK, districts need to have a plan, and it has to follow a certain set of standards, like, for example, phones should not be used during instructional time,’” Zhu said. “But I think a complete ban should be left up to the jurisdiction of the districts.”

A complete ban would also be difficult for staff to implement, Zhu said.

“Right now we have a more lax kind of ban or regulations, and people are still getting around them,” Zhu said. “I think even if we do a complete ban, people would still find a way to get around it, like bringing two phones or something like that.”