Away For The Day | Latest News - Two Weeks Into Cellphone Ban At Evanston High School: 'Kids Aren't Phone Zombies’

EVANSTON — Uinta County School District 1 Superintendent Ryan Thomas can pinpoint the moment he knew students using cellphones in classrooms was a problem that could no longer be ignored.

“It happened toward the end of not last year, but of the previous school year,” he said. "I had an opportunity to sub in one of our advanced math classes (at Evanston High School). In the class there was a sign from the teacher that said, ‘No Cellphones’ on the wall.

"I knew that the high school had a policy in place previously that cellphones should be put away during instructional time.”

Thomas observed that despite the school’s policy and the teacher’s sign, a few students had their phones out and on their desks while they worked anyway.

“So I walk back and I say, ‘Please put your cellphones away.’ And these are students that are academically very sound and academically working hard,” he told Cowboy State Daily.

“And what I noticed (was) it was more of a habit that when their cellphone buzzed, they had to look at it, even though they knew they weren't supposed to,” Thomas said. "When I told one girl to put her phone away, she said, ‘Oh man, I didn’t even realize I was looking at it.’ And I believed her.”

Fast-forward to the 2025-2026 school year that just began.

Evanston High School has now implemented a total ban on cellphones during hours of instruction — from the time students step on campus to the time they leave. All phones must be turned off and stowed away for the duration.

That includes lunch on campus, between classes, bus rides and assemblies during school hours.

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Read the full article here.

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