After Minnesota lawmakers mandated that all Minnesotan schools must have a clear policy regulating the use of cell phones in classrooms, the landscape of mobile device use changed drastically in District 112.
The Bell-To-Bell No Cell (BTBNC) policy was introduced in the district at the beginning of the 2024-25 academic school year. The policy reserves the right for staff members to take cell phones from students when they are seen being used in the classroom.
BTBNC also involves a system that increases punishment for every “strike” a student receives, with the ultimate consequence being the loss of privilege of bringing a cell phone into the building. Students and faculty have now had a chance to live with the system formore than a semester, and opinions vary.
Students stand on a mostly united front. The general sentiment from the student body is a feeling of resentment toward the policy with a recognition of the necessity of it. Of course, when a set of limitations is imposed upon a group of people, the expected response is a feeling of oppression.
However, the background information surrounding the policy’s benefits, coupled with the legislative action requiring it, fosters a level of understanding in the students of our district. In all, the students of District 112 feel confined yet ultimately uplifted by the policy.
There are groups of students who feel more strongly toward BTBNC. Many have expressed feeling like their rights are being infringed upon and view the policy as an overreach of power by state lawmakers.
Others flat-out disagree with the policy, citing it as “dumb” and “too much.”
Teachers and faculty members unanimously favor the policy.
Douglas Bullinger, the principal of Chanhassen High School, reported higher levels of engagement and interaction in nearly all classrooms at Chanhassen High. Additionally, grades have measurably risen from previous years with no policy.
Bullinger also attributed a general increase in esteem and attitude within the student body to the new policy. He views the decrease in time spent on phones and, in turn, social media as an overall positive influence on the mental well-being of students.
“Social media is a comparison machine,” he said. “What I’ve seen over the years is the more students are [on] their phone, and [on] social media specifically, the more depressed they are. They just see themselves in a deficit mindset, comparing themselves to people who have post[ed] nothing but good.”
With a district as large and diverse as 112, it is difficult to create a single policy where everyone is in agreement. While feelings toward the policy may differ, what we do know is that Bell-To-Bell No Cell isn’t leaving District 112 anytime soon.
