No Phones, No Problem: Local Districts Share Experience With Phone-Free School Year
by Stephanie Baker
The 2025-26 school year began with one new change, a statewide ban on cell phone use in schools.
The “Bell to Bell, No Cell Act” (Act 122) requires students to turn off personal electronic devices (including phones and smartwatches) and to keep them put away during the entire school day, from the first morning bell until the dismissal bell in the afternoon. The devices must be stored in a backpack or locker and not on a student’s person to remain compliant with the legislation. The Act does include limited exceptions for medical or emergency purposes and documented IEP/504 plans.
Act 122 keeps phones out of the classroom, but also out of the lunchroom, hallways, and bathrooms, expanding on the concept of a phone-free learning environment to also include the on-campus social experience.
“We have seen a staggering rise in mental illness among young people over the past decade. The culprit is clear: unrestricted access to smartphones and social media,” said Governor Sarah Huckabee Sanders in a press release for the legislation on Jan. 29. “After the overwhelming success of our phone-free schools pilot program, it’s clear that it’s time for Arkansas to ban smartphones, bell to bell, in every school in our state.”
During the summer of 2024, the Clarksville School Board discussed participation in the governor’s pilot program, which required students to keep their devices in locked pouches throughout the school day, but ultimately decided against participating in the state-funded endeavor. The decision sparked a community conversation on cell phone use in schools, with parents taking to social media to voice their opinions on the matter. A repeatedly voiced concern from parents was an inability to contact their student throughout the school day, and safety communication during emergencies, such as a school shooting.
Sanders stated in the announcement she was “inspired to launch this program after reading ‘The Anxious Generation’ by author Jonathan Haidt, and also sent a copy of the book to every legislator in Arkansas and every governor in America.” The bestselling book discusses in depth the negative effects of social media and screen use on the mental health of youth, a growing concern of parents and teachers.
The Act removed the district’s choice in participating, requiring each public school in the state to create and enforce a phone use policy that restricts the use of cell phones throughout the entire school day, but leaves the specific consequences to be decided by each district.
Representative Jon Eubanks of District 46, who represents a portion of Johnson and Franklin counties, served as a primary sponsor of the bill, which became law on Feb. 20. Act 122 saw overwhelming support from both the Senate, with a vote of 28-1, and the House with a vote of 97-1.
“I think we can all agree cell phones are a serious distraction for students. This legislation will limit that distraction so that phones do not interfere with the learning process,” said Eubanks in a statement supporting the legislation.
At the end of the first nine weeks of the school year, local school districts are sharing how the new legislation is affecting their students and classrooms.
“This should have happened a long time ago,” said Ozark Junior High Principal Brad Ray. “From my perspective, students appear to be more engaged in the classroom and are more social at lunch.”
Ray said the lack of phones puts a “greater focus on what students are at school to do,” citing less disruption, drama, and discipline issues as advantages to removing the devices for the entire school day.
The full story appears in the Oct. 29 edition of The Graphic, found online and in businesses throughout Franklin and Johnson counties.
