For years at PCDS Upper School, the familiar routine has played out at the beginning of class: students toggle their phones on silent and place them in the phone bins. This fall, PCDS is putting the responsibility for managing phones in the hands of technology rather than the students. Beginning this school year, the Upper School administration will introduce The Commons, an app designed to restrict distracting phone features while students are on campus.
The change follows growing concerns about how phones affect students’ ability to focus and connect with one another. In a welcome letter for the 2026-2027 school year, Mr. Klemp wrote that cell phones were the “issue raised most frequently by parents, faculty, and students.” He also stated that the new policy is intended to “refocus our students on learning and being present in our school community.”
For teachers, the shift could mean a heavy weight lifted off their shoulders. Dr. Khakpour said that notifications can pull students away from class, making it difficult to expect them to self-regulate when a device is designed to hold their attention. He compared having a phone readily available in the classroom to “being handed a bag of gummy bears and being expected to eat just one.”
Ms. Cherilla shared similar remarks about self-regulation and her dissatisfaction with last year’s policy. “Although students initially followed the policy, reminders became increasingly necessary as the year progressed. The new policy takes away that additional worry from the teacher,” she said.
Students face a different question: will limiting phone access actually change how they interact with the PCDS community? Junior Bridget Gorlin said, “My phone is very helpful for me at school, because it’s hard to find people after classes, and I use it to check my email and calendar when I don’t have my computer.”
Many other students agree with this and add their irritation surrounding The Commons built-in geofencing, bad reviews, and social limitations. However, some anonymous students “appreciate that this is not a complete phone ban and will encourage more face-to-face interactions with their peers.”
For teachers, the benefit of fewer reminders, more time devoted to teaching, and less interruption
is promising. For students, the change represents a significant shift in how phones fit into their everyday school life. Whether the policy actually changes student behavior or simply changes how students access their phones will become clear once the year gets underway.
