High schoolers may no longer be able to sneakily text under their desks. On Friday, DC Public Schools (DCPS) announced a policy to ban personal cellphone use, starting in the 2025-2026 school year. Here’s what to know:

Proponents say the policy will make students more focused

“We’ve been recognizing the body of research around this issue that suggests smartphone use and devices have been detrimental to the school environment,” says Lewis Ferebee, the Chancellor of DCPS.

Nationally , about three-quarters of high school teachers and a third of middle school teachers say distractions from cellphones are a “major problem” in their classroom.

Supporters of the new policy hope that cellphone restrictions will help students focus and improve upon low test scores that have not fully r

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