Three weeks into the school year, De La Salle administrators are seeing noticeable changes during unstructured parts of the school day. 

Andrew Campbell, DLS Dean of Students and Director of Counseling, has observed that students in the Cafeteria and Commons are engaged in more peer-to-peer interactions. 

The reason? 

While cell phones were previously banned for use in the classroom, the new cell phone policy at DLS does not allow cell phone use anywhere. There is one consistent expectation throughout the school day. 

Also banned are headphones, ear pods, smart watches, tablets, and smart glasses; students continue to use Chromebooks for class notes. 

Campbell, who developed the new cell phone use policy for the 2026-2027 school year, says putting their phones away is creating more opportunities for students to connect with one another. 

The Research Behind Cell Phone Use 

For the last few years, phones have not been allowed during classroom time, but Campbell had concerns about students having online/virtual interactions rather than face-to-face relationships during free time, especially in the Cafeteria and Commons. 

Campbell,  a nationally certified school psychologist, has done the research. 

Habitual phone use and extensive screen time can affect an adolescent’s mental health and cognitive achievement. There can be occasional behavioral issues. 

Campbell also found that neighboring school districts in the area, such as the Chippewa Valley schools, Lakeview, and two Lasallian schools in New York and Chicago have already adopted schoolwide restrictions. Read more about the Lasallian Core Principles at the end of this article. 

Campbell learned about how to communicate the policy, its implementation, and what challenges to anticipate. 

Parental Input

Campbell surveyed parents before implementing the policy and got a strong positive response. 

Parents encouraged the school to establish whatever restrictions that administrators believed were appropriate. 

Parents also responded positively to the mid-summer announcement, sending supporting emails and indicating how they would reinforce expectations at home. 

Campbell’s reaction? 

“I was pretty shocked by how positive the response was,” he said. 

Adjustment, Acceptance, and Some Disagreement

Campbell expected more resistance, particularly from upperclassmen, but said implementation has been relatively smooth. 

“Some students complain or ‘troll’ about the policy, but most have been willing to comply,” he said.

During the first three weeks, there were approximately 12 violations of the policy, but “no confrontations or additional discipline” was necessary, according to Campbell.  

The implementation “has been really seamless,” he said.

The objective isn’t simply “no phones,” but creating space for conversation, relationships, and school involvement. 

• Junior John Glaeser initially opposed the policy but changed his mind after several weeks. He says he has more focus in the classroom and believes his grades have improved. “At lunch, students are talking rather than looking at their phones,” he said. 
• Like Glaeser, junior Christian Czubaty has also noticed that he has greater attention in class, and more engagement with teachers and fellow students.
• Although he acknowledges the new policy has been difficult because of his previous phone habits, senior Jack Newby said reinforcement of the policy helped him realize he doesn’t really need his phone during the school day. While he did point out that DLS students already have strong connections with one another, he says removing the phone can make face-to-face interaction easier. 
• Senior Dominic Tamulevich generally likes the policy and agrees that it helps students connect, although he’d like to see phones allowed during lunch and free mods. But he sees the restriction as more of an inconvenience than a major hardship. 
• Senior Aidan McDonald believes students were able to form friendships and socialize before the ban and noted phones can also be a way for students to share things with one another, such as a picture. However, he does support the policy of keeping phones out of classrooms. 

The Lasallian Core Principles

Deeply committed to providing an environment where students can thrive academically, socially, and spiritually, Campbell cited the Five Core Principles of a Lasallian Education. 

Faith in the Presence of God Constant digital notifications create noise that distracts from reflection. 

Concern for the Poor and Social Justice Smartphones often introduce unnecessary social stratification,cyberbullying, and exclusion based on digital status. A phone-free environment acts as an equalizer. 

Respect for All Persons Respect for all is at the very heart of a Lasallian education, requiring active listening and genuine presence. By removing the barrier of screens, we encourage face-to-face eye contact, and living out our daily mantra, “Live Jesus in our hearts, forever.”

Quality Education DLS provides an education preparing students for college, careers, and life. Because smartphones heavily diminish attention spans and cognitive capacity, removing this distraction ensures a high-focus environment. 

Inclusive Community As a community where diversity is respected and no one is left out, we want our communal spaces to be vibrant and welcome, and without the isolation of individual digital bubbles.