More districts and states are putting restrictions on when and how students can use their cellphones during the school day for the benefit of their learning and mental health.
That trend has led some people to wonder if schools should also have policies in place for teachers so they can model appropriate behavior for students, especially as kids find ways to dodge the restrictions.
鈥淭eachers, as professionals, should model a balanced and intentional approach to using their phones during the school day,鈥� said Edward Rivero, a visiting assistant professor at Teachers College, Columbia University, whose research examines digital literacy. 鈥淲hen phone use is not directly tied to pedagogy or student engagement, teachers should use discretion and ensure their behavior aligns with the expectations of the school rules and standards.鈥�
It鈥檚 unclear how many districts across the country have explicit policies on teachers鈥� cellphone use.
Education Week asked its audience, in , what cellphone policy their school or district has for teachers: More than a third of the 694 respondents (37 percent) said their school/district policy is that teachers are not allowed to use their cellphones at all during school hours, 31 percent said teachers can use their phones between classes, and 20 percent said teachers can use their phones only for emergencies.
Clear guidelines might help model appropriate use for students
Principals and teachers who spoke with Education Week agree that adults should be modeling appropriate cellphone use for students, but it鈥檚 not鈥攁nd doesn鈥檛 always need to be鈥攁n explicit, written policy. It鈥檚 more of a professional expectation, they said.
Still, it might be helpful to have clear guidelines and shared understanding within a school to maintain consistency and accountability, Rivero said.
Social studies teacher Manuel Rustin said there鈥檚 not a schoolwide or districtwide policy on student cellphone use at John Muir High School Early College Magnet in Pasadena, Calif., so every teacher has their own set of classroom rules. (By July 2026, every district in California is required to adopt a policy on student cellphone use, per a law signed by Gov. Gavin Newsom in September.)
So far, there have not been any discussions in his school district about crafting policies around teachers鈥� cellphone use, Rustin said. But he makes sure he follows any rules he wants his students to adhere to.
Rustin collects students鈥� phones at the start of every class by handing out envelopes for students to place their devices in, and he has told students to 鈥溾�榤ake sure I鈥檓 not on my phone鈥� because it would be unfair for me to not adhere to a policy that I鈥檓 asking them to adhere to,鈥� he said.
鈥淎s professionals, we should not be using our phones for anything that鈥檚 not directly teaching-related,鈥� Rustin said. He keeps his phone away in his desk drawer and usually only looks at it during lunch.
Using cellphones for schoolwide communication makes restrictions impractical
Some schools communicate with teachers through their cellphones, according to educators. For instance, at Boyd Elementary School in Boyd, Texas, Principal Jana Clark said it鈥檚 often easier to call teachers on their cellphones if they need an extra hand during recess or in the lunchroom.
鈥淢y teachers are fabulous鈥攖hey鈥檙e rarely at their seats,鈥� Clark said. 鈥淭hey do have a classroom phone, but if they鈥檙e in their classroom, a lot of times they miss it because they鈥檙e not at their desk鈥攖hey鈥檙e walking around, actively monitoring.鈥�
Boyd Elementary also has a panic-button app that鈥檚 available on teachers鈥� cellphones that they can use to alert the rest of the school and emergency responders if there鈥檚 an incident. As a result, it would be difficult to have restrictions on teachers鈥� cellphone use, Clark said.
鈥淲e also have to recognize that [teachers] have lives, too,鈥� she said, recalling a time one of her teachers had to answer a cellphone call from her daughter鈥檚 school about a medical emergency. 鈥淚t鈥檚 important to recognize that they鈥檙e professionals. I have never walked into a classroom and a teacher was on a cellphone.鈥�
Teachers also often don鈥檛 have the time to dilly dally on their phones, educators said.
鈥淚 don鈥檛 use my phone at any point during class,鈥� said Natalie Markey, a math teacher at Lake Braddock Secondary School in Burke, Va. 鈥淚鈥檓 honestly too busy.鈥�
At her school, students are only allowed to use their phones between classes, so that鈥檚 also when Markey said she checks hers to see if there鈥檚 anything urgent. Otherwise, her phone stays in her backpack unless she鈥檚 going to lunch or to a long meeting.
鈥淎ny sort of blanket policy would need to have some room for [teachers鈥橾 professional discretion and the trust that [administrators] have in the teachers to do their job,鈥� she said.
