A recent TED Talk set the scene. The speaker was riding on a public transit bus. She watched with interest as two attractive twenty-somethings sat next to each other. Neither was communicating. Both sat transfixed by their phones. The speaker leaned in to see what held their attention. Ironically, each was on a separate dating app looking for companionship. The two happened to get off the bus at the same stop and proceeded to walk away from each other. The opportunity to form a meaningful connection was lost.

I thought technology was supposed to make life easier.

Over the years, life has taught me many lessons. We were living out in the rolling hills of western Wisconsin thirty years ago. It was a warm spring day and I wanted to burn a small pile of brush. I had a burning permit and thought I was well prepared for a simple job. I could not have been more mistaken.

I started the fire and things seemed to be going well. Eventually, the flames licked at some dry grass and it didn’t take long before the grass was on fire. It was a tiny patch. I attempted to stomp it out with my boot, but the flames would immediately spring back to life. And they spread. Quickly.

It quickly became apparent that this was more than I could handle on my own. The fire department was called. Through some type of miracle, we managed to have things under control by the time they arrived, but under the right conditions it could easily have spread all the way to the St. Croix River, about a mile to the west. I haven’t looked at brush burning quite the same way since.

Sometimes a spark creates something that gets away from us.

That experience has stayed with me—and it comes to mind when I think about the role technology now plays in our children’s lives.

In his book The Anxious Generation, Jonathan Haidt describes what he calls a “Great Rewiring” of childhood that began around 2010. He points to two major shifts happening at the same time:

Overprotection in the real world: children experienced less independence and free play.

Underprotection in the virtual world: at the same time, they were given broad access to smartphones and social media.

According to Haidt, this shift has had four major impacts on developing minds:

Social deprivation: digital interaction replaces richer, face-to-face connection.

Sleep deprivation: devices disrupt healthy sleep patterns.

Fragmented attention: constant notifications make sustained focus difficult.

Addiction: apps are intentionally designed to keep users engaged.

To address these challenges, he proposes a set of collective, community-based solutions:

1. No Smartphones Before High School (Age 14)

The middle school years are a period of massive brain remodeling. Smartphones, with their infinite stream of notifications and algorithmic “hooks,” are often too much for an 11-year-old’s developing impulse control.

The goal: Encourage parents to delay the smartphone. If a child needs a way to communicate, consider basic phones or smartwatches without internet browsers or social media apps.

2. No Social Media Before 16

Social media platforms are designed by some of the world’s smartest engineers to keep users engaged as long as possible. For teenagers, the “prestige economy” of likes and comments can become a source of constant stress.

The goal: Allow students to develop a firmer sense of self-worth that isn’t dependent on digital validation.

3. Phone-Free Schools

Research shows that even the mere presence of a phone on a desk—even if turned off—reduces cognitive capacity. A phone-free school day allows the brain to enter deep work and encourages students to interact with one another during lunch and passing periods.

The goal: Create a sanctuary for focus and face-to-face social development.

4. Restore the Freedom to Play

In our effort to keep children safe, we have inadvertently shrunk their worlds. Children learn resilience, conflict resolution, and independence through unsupervised (but age-appropriate) play.

The goal: Encourage more “free-range” opportunities—whether walking to a friend’s house or playing at the park without constant supervision.

The Power of “Together”

The hardest part of these reforms for any parent is the fear that their child will be the “only one” without a phone. This is why collective action is so important. When we move together as a district and a community, we remove that social pressure from our children.

The school board and district staff have continued to review student use of cell phones and other personal technology devices in school. We are examining the impact of a broader cell phone (iPads, earbuds, Apple Watches, etc.) ban. Minnesota legislators are engaged in the same conversation.

Current Law (2024 Legislation)

As of the 2024 legislative session, Minnesota law requires every school district and charter school to adopt a formal policy on student cell phone possession. Districts were required to adopt their policy by March 15, 2025.

Requirement: Districts must have a written policy but have flexibility in what that policy looks like (e.g., “away for the day” vs. “allowed during lunch”).

Guidance: The state directed education leaders to develop best practices to help minimize the impact of phones on mental health and academic performance.

Result: This led to a “patchwork” across the state, where some districts (like Stillwater) went completely phone-free while others took a more flexible approach.

Proposed Bipartisan Ban

In the current 2025–2026 legislative session, a more aggressive bipartisan bill (SF 508) is moving through committees. This bill would create a uniform statewide standard rather than leaving decisions solely to individual districts.

Key provisions include:

Grades K–8: A total ban on cell phones and smartwatches during the school day.

Grades 9–12: A ban during classroom instructional time.

Implementation timeline: If passed, requirements would begin in the 2026–2027 school year.

Exceptions: Medical needs, IEP requirements, and principal-approved uses.

Funding and Support

The legislation also proposes financial support to help schools transition to phone-free environments:

Implementation grants for storage solutions such as locking pouches or classroom caddies

A statewide campaign to educate families about the risks of excessive screen use

Why the shift?

Legislators have increasingly pointed to “Big Tech” as a primary competitor for student attention. Testimony from educators suggests that local control alone has not been enough to address digital distraction, prompting a push for a more consistent statewide approach.

Where do we go from here?

Much like that brush fire in western Wisconsin, the digital “spark” of the last decade has grown into a challenge that requires a collective response. Our Board of Education is currently analyzing how we can best create a “firebreak” for our students.

As the Board continues reviewing our current policies and the potential transition to a phone-free environment, our north star remains the same: ensuring our schools are sanctuaries for focus, connection, and deep learning.

We look forward to sharing more as these discussions evolve, and we invite you to join us in prioritizing the real world over the virtual one.