Jefferson County middle and high school cafeterias were louder this school year.
And that was a good thing.
One of the most obvious changes in schools after state law banned cell phone use from the start through the end of the school day has been increased interaction between students, county students and school officials said.
“Right off the bat, we saw more students interacting with one another,” Festus High School Principal Karl Shininger said. “We see the kids are not distracted by their cell phones and are talking to each other more often.”
The cell phone ban was part of a sweeping education law Gov. Mike Kehoe signed on July 9, 2025, and went into effect Aug. 28, 2025. Students were not allowed to use personal electronic communication devices, mainly cell phones, during classes, lunch, study halls, time between classes and other breaks.
The law had exceptions for students who need their phones or other devices for health reasons, such as monitoring blood sugar levels if the student is diabetic; to accommodate a student with disabilities or if the phone or device is part of a student’s individualized education plan.
The ban did not apply to teachers and school staff.
Fox High School senior Jaylynn Barnhart, 18, of Arnold said she was surprised by the new rule when she found out about it during a Student Council summer work day.
She said she was worried about not being able to communicate with her parents throughout the day and just adjusting to not having the same access to her phone she previously enjoyed.
“We were used to having them in the hallways,” Barnhart said. “It took a while to get on board, but once we realized this was going to be the norm and there were consequences, it became our every day.
“You also realized that the things you were texting your parents about didn’t need to happen during school. After the first month, I realized it (her cell phone) would still be there when I got out of school, and my mom didn’t send me any important text messages.”
Implementing
The law required every school district to write and post a policy banning the devices, and while the ban had to be for the entire school day, district officials created their disciplinary actions.
County districts created mostly similar discipline policies that started with a warning to a student to put away a cell phone for the first offense. The second offense typically was punished by taking away the student’s cell phone and giving it back at the end of the school day.
Third offenses in most districts resulted in some form of in-school discipline, such as a lunch detention, and required a parent or guardian to retrieve a confiscated cell phone at the end of the school day.
Subsequent offenses for most county districts elevated to in-school to after-school detention and possibly suspension.
Northwest High School Principal Stella Viehland said the Northwest School District had a higher number of disciplinary incidents this school year because of the cell phone infractions. However, she also said there were fewer student confrontations, social drama and hurt feelings due to students not having access to their phones and social media during the school day.
“To be honest, as school principals, we felt uncertain going into the new year,” she said. “We were wondering how it would go, but our staff and students stepped up to the plate.
“Our busiest day of cell phone infractions, right at the beginning of the year, was a total 50 phones collected. Considering we have more than 1,600 students, that is a win. Each day the number was less and less as students understood.”
Tammy Cardona, Fox C-6 School District assistant superintendent for secondary education, said the cell phone rules mainly affected middle and high school students.
“We saw the discipline write ups regarding technology violations, which includes phones, increase 58 percent over last school year,” she said.
Cardona also said issues that typically started due to social media did drop this school year.
“The biggest change was around the amount of online and social media harassment that was dealt with during the day due to the fact that phones were not allowed out during school hours,” she said. “There were fewer social media issues with bullying and harassment.”
Shininger said Festus High students were required to store their phones in lockers, and few students were disciplined beyond a warning to put the phones away.
“We had a number of referrals, but most of the time after the first couple of warnings, students understood that if it (a cell phone) was visible it was a write up,” he said. “They really kind of embraced that we are going to be a cell phone free school, and we are going to focus on academics and social stuff as opposed to being distracted by the screen.”
Barnhart said there were daily announcements about the cell phone ban when the school year started, and teachers would remind students about the new policy at the start and end of classes.
“They set the ground rules for everybody,” she said. “After the first month, you didn’t see anyone with their phone out.”
Adjusting
Festus High senior Samantha Rider, 18, of Festus said she was mad when she learned about the cell phone ban, and the adjustment was not easy when the school year began.
“I just wanted to take out my phone and scroll on TikTok,” she said. “I bought coloring books and markers to give myself something to do during my down time.
“Once I got past the point of not being able to entertain myself, I would actually talk to people in my classes. I made a lot of friends. I got to know them on a level that I could not have if I had my phone. Before, we would all just sit on our phones all the time, and we wouldn’t talk with each other except for on my phone.”
Seckman High junior Owen Howell, 17, of Imperial said he wanted to use his phone more at the start of the school year because he was used to having access to it.
“Over time, it made me want my phone less,” he said. “It has kind of inspired me to get away from my phone.”
Festus High senior Holli High, 18, of Festus said it took her about a month to get used to not being able to use her phone at school.
“There were a few times in classes, I was like, ‘I don’t have anything to do, let me pull out my phone,’” she said. “Then I was like, ‘Oh, wait, I can’t go on it.’”
High said not having her phone led to her being more comfortable talking with other students, and she noticed more students interacting with each other this school year.
“A lot of people came out of their shell and started talking to each other more,” she said. “Last year, you would just be on your phone and not talking to people.”
Northwest High senior Ricky Creviston, 18, of Fenton said throughout the school year, he found the positives of not being able to access his phone were greater than the negatives.
“I found myself less stressed and not freaked out over school drama during class and can overall focus on my education,” he said.
Festus High senior Maddison Pennington, 18, of Festus said students were able to handle conflicts better because they didn’t have access to their phones.
“I think by not having our phones we are able to communicate better with each other,” she said. “If there was some drama going on, we had opportunities to be adults about it and talk face to face, instead of going online and saying ugly things.”
Impact
Ron Wilhelm, a social studies teacher and varsity wrestling coach at Northwest High, said the cell phone ban is the most effective policy implementation to improve learning in his 33-year career.
“Students are more engaged, and it has been a tremendous success at Northwest High School,” he said.
Rider said her grades improved this year by not having access to her phone during school.
“My grades would not be as good as they are if I had my cell phone,” she said. “This year, I worked more, and it helped me academically.”
Northwest High counselor Chris Allen said the ban has helped students’ mental health and well-being.
“We have experienced less counseling office visits this year in regard to detrimental impacts of students’ mental health and well-being due to constant social media exposure,” he said. “Overall, the cell policy has had a positive impact on our climate and culture at Northwest High School.”
Shininger said there was a 33 percent increase in the number of books checked out at the Festus High library this school year, and he said without cell phones, students learn important social skills.
“I believe one of the main goals in public education is learning how to work together productively and interact with others in a positive way,” he said. “I think the cell phones slowed that process down. I think without the cell phones, it allowed us to move forward and refocus on how that is a main priority in what we are here to do, not only to give a good education but to provide them with an opportunity to learn and grow together.”