TA News

Thetford Academy will become a phone-free environment for students this year. This is a bold step towards fostering a healthier learning community by taking collective action to give students a respite from phone use during the school day. 

Head of School Carrie Brennan sent a letter to families on July 23 to share the news. The letter reviewed the rationale for the decision, outlined the new policy, explained how families can help with the transition, addressed frequently asked questions, shared links to resources, and invited parents to forums to learn more. LINK to COMMUNITY LETTER.

In a follow-up email to students on July 26, Dean of Students Siobhan Lopez shared some reflections and information in response to initial student concerns, including the following points (quoting from her email):

• Going phone free is not a consequence. You’re not the problem – and don’t need to be punished! The truth is cell phones have a negative impact on developing brains. We believe, and science tells us, that a break from them is good for you.  
• Mobile devices not only distract students from schoolwork but prevent them from engaging with each other. We want you to have more genuine interactions with each other, more face-to-face conversations, and more real life experiences. 
• Studies show that the heaviest smartphone and/or social media users are the most depressed and lonely (Source: Social Media Use and Adolescent Mental Health, The Lancet, Jan 2019).

Setting limits on phone use in classrooms is not new to TA. Structures and strategies have been in place since 2017, and last year we recommitted to a collective commitment across campus. This year, however, we are taking a schoolwide approach.

By making this a school-level policy, our goal is to lift the burden from teachers and shoulder it at the schoolwide and administrative level. Teachers already have a complex job designing and teaching lessons, building relationships with adolescents, facilitating small communities of learners – even more so since the pandemic. Phone policing is the last thing they need added to their workload. A schoolwide universal approach to phones should prove to be helpful for teachers and, ultimately, to increase student connection and engagement.

The decision to go with a schoolwide approach was made earlier this summer, after consultation with a variety of people and resources, including input from teachers, students, and staff who attended an after-school session in May; the U.S. Surgeon General’s advisory; conversations with parents, faculty, trustees, and others who attended a community forum in June; listening sessions with phone-free school advocates in our community who have been working at the local and state levels on this issue; emerging research about the impact of phones and social media on youth well-being; and lessons learned from Upper Valley school leaders who have implemented phone-free policies.

Thetford Academy is working with Yondr, Inc. and the company’s locking phone pouches. Purchase of the Yondr pouches (and related implementation support and training) will cost approximately $11,500, the funds for which have been generously donated by community supporters of the initiative.

We recognize we cannot solve all problems related to overuse and misuse of cell phones and social media, but we can provide a respite during the school day to allow for increased academic engagement and help foster renewed attention on social interactions. While there will undoubtedly be implementation challenges and pushback from some students and families, we have the confidence and conviction that it is worth doing – and will result in a healthier, more joyful, and more focused, engaged, and productive learning environment for all of us.

Resources

A few links for those interested in learning more about this national conversation: 

• The Surgeon General’s advisory on social media and a related story on ABC News
• The Case for Phone Free Schools by Jonathan Haidt, an article that was also published in The Atlantic (paywall) that has been widely read and discussed.
• The Yondr, Inc. website provides resources for schools, educators, students, and families: https://www.overyondr.com/phone-free-schools