If you have an older brother or sister at Ramapo or Indian Hills, or you're headed there yourself in a few years, here's a big change: starting this school year, phones have to be off and zipped away in a backpack from the first bell to the last — the whole day, even at lunch.[1]
This isn't something the schools decided on their own. New Jersey passed a law requiring it, and the state said in July that schools have to keep phones away all day, not just during class.[1] The school board made the rule official on Aug. 24 — they even skipped a normal second vote, which they'd usually take, just to get the rule ready before students came back on Sept. 8.[2] The superintendent said she wanted the rules "in place when students return."[3]
Students still keep their own phones — nobody takes them away in the morning. But "powered off, stored away, and out of sight" is the rule, all day long.[4]
Break the rule and here's what happens: first time, just a reminder. Second time, the teacher talks to you privately and calls home. Third time, the phone gets taken away for the rest of the day. More than four times, or one really serious break of the rules, and a student can lose the right to bring a phone to school for the rest of the year.[5]
There are some exceptions, for things like a medical need or translation help, listed in the policy.[6]
The superintendent said the point isn't really about phones at all. "It is to reduce distraction so that we can increase attention, conversation, connection, and learning," she said.[7]
One more thing to know: this rule is only for Ramapo and Indian Hills, the high schools. Wyckoff's K-8 schools — where most kids reading this go right now — have their own separate rules about devices.