Editor’s note: This is the first in a regular series of articles written by Brunswick High School students interested in journalism. These students will be covering issues in their school and the local community, with guidance by a teacher and editor at The Times Record.  

Brunswick High School is weighing new restrictions on student cell phone use after a growing number of concerns from teachers, students, and families.

While no formal policy changes are imminent, administrators and teachers are exploring a “practice change” for the 2025-26 academic year that would set stricter expectations and “structured boundaries” around student phone use during the school day, according to Principal Troy Henninger.

The shift follows a months-long conversation about how phones affect learning, mental health, and social interactions at the high school — conversations that have only intensified since the COVID-19 pandemic.

BHS English teacher Hugh Dwyer said he’s seen a significant change since 2020.

“Before COVID, we didn’t have issues with phones because they had never been a part of the educational landscape,” he said. “Then kids came back and phones have been almost like a baby’s blanket.”

Dwyer’s views reflect a growing sentiment to further limit cell phone use during the school day. In a spring survey conducted by BHS, 64% of students said phones should not be used during class, but they do want them allowed in school otherwise, while 13% of students supported total freedom to use phones anytime. Among staff and parents, 0% and 3% supported open phone use, respectively, with nearly a third of each group preferring phones be turned off and put away for the entire day.

That stricter model already exists just down the road from the high school. At Brunswick Junior High School, students are required to keep phones off and put away all day, a rule that is working, according to eighth grader Daphne Tuite.

“Everyone is definitely a lot more focused,” she said. “The most astounding difference is that kids are now actually talking to each other … it’s simply one less distraction.” Tuite said some students still sneak phones in their pockets, but overall, she sees more social interaction and less stress.

BHS administrators are taking note of these benefits in considering an increase in phone-free times, likely without instituting a strict bell-to-bell ban like at the junior high. The goal is to strike a balance, one that students can manage, teachers can enforce, and families can support.

In a letter to families this past month, Henninger and Assistant Principal Jacob Goldstone wrote that they are “committed to working with families to set healthy, structured boundaries — ones that protect learning without adding unnecessary complications to daily life.” They emphasized that any change would not come from the school board or result in a total no-phone zone at the school.

“We’re not going to run the school like an airport,” Henninger said. “There’s no TSA or metal detectors looking for phones. This is simply going to be a new practice.”

The survey results suggest the school is navigating a generational divide. Staff viewed phones as a distraction at twice the rate of students, and most teachers said phones hurt learning and the school environment. Parents agreed with the staff. But students were more split, and while many acknowledged the benefit of a clearer structure, others advocated for more autonomy and phone freedom.

Henninger said the school’s next steps include “working with teachers, coaches, students and parents” to iron out new guidelines over the summer, and those new practices are expected to be implemented for the 2025–26 school year.

Dwyer says that those changes are overdue.

“Implementing a stricter practice would be the best thing for our student population,” he said. “We have to respect the students’ interest, but we must also protect their health.”

Still, it’s unlikely that BHS will adopt the full cell phone ban already in place at Morse, Portland, and Mt. Ararat high schools.

“We’re not at that point,” Henninger said. “Nor will the policy be that” because, he said, there is some benefit to students having access to phones — such as for important communication with family — just not during academic time.

“This is a hot-button issue nationwide,” Goldstone said, and as the school community works toward a new approach with input from all sides, the hope is that the resulting policies will create a more focused, balanced and connected environment for students.