Originally published in TEACH Magazine, July/August 2019 Issue
By Meagan Gillmore
Lunchtime at Manhattan Beach Middle School in Manhattan Beach, CA, has gotten a lot louder over the past few years. Sounds of dodgeball and basketball tournaments replace the buzzing and pinging of cell phone notifications. Students attend club meetings instead of participating in group chats on social media.
During the 2016–2017 school year, the school initiated a policy prohibiting students from using cell phones during the school day. They can continue to use other devices in a classroom or library for schoolwork, explains Kerry Riccio Aguero, the school’s vice-principal, but cell phones are not allowed.
Meagan Gillmore is a freelance writer in Toronto, ON.
