We are a group of Portland parents and educators interested in building a community to support thoughtful cell phone and technology policies that promote student wellness and support learning.
We are advocating for 100% phone-free campuses for students in all Portland Schools. Phone-free schools adhere to a first bell to last bell no-phone policy that is clearly communicated to all stakeholders and strictly enforced by all administration and staff. Phone-free schools support not only academic achievement and focus, but also social development, resilience, improved mental health, and the face-to-face connections that our students desperately need.
We support successful, consistent enforcement of current middle school phone-free policies district-wide, as well as the development of a phone-free plan for all Portland high schools.
Phone Free Portland Schools Survey
We have surveyed affiliated parents and teachers across Portland and have received support and interest from over 230 parents, teachers, students, and other stakeholders as of May 18th 2025. Many have reached out specifically to offer more context and describe detailed needs for the students in their lives to have a better experience at school without phones.
Safety Concern
We understand that safety of students during an emergency is a concern for parents. However, research has shown and is supported by law enforcement that to have students not have cell phones during emergencies is actually the more efficient and safe process. In Portland, Reach My Teach has been developed with circumstances like this in mind: to allow for a portal of communication between teachers, parents, and students.
Recent Actions in Other Maine Districts
RSU1 banned cell phones planning on using Yondr pouches for middle and high school
Many nearby school districts have advocacy groups that have gained momentum with similar petitions as well as Community Reads of The Anxious Generation
Maine LD170 Bill: Resolve, Establishing a Pilot Program to Reduce Personal Electronic Device Distractions During the School Day brought to legislature January 2025
The smartphone appeared on the scene in 2010. Since then:
Academics:
Students who do use phones during class learn less1 and get lower grades2
Heavy phone users have lower GPAs3
Merely having a smartphone near a student reduces their ability to focus4
Social Development:
Phones also undermine social interaction, decreasing enjoyment in face-to-face interaction5
Most discipline issues in middle and high school are related to phones (sharing of damaging videos; scheduling bathroom meetups; picking fights)
Mental Health:
57% of teen girls experience persistent sadness and hopelessness (CDC Bi-Annual Youth Risk Behavior Survey)
“Greater social media use related to online harassment, poor sleep, low self-esteem and poor body image; in turn these related to higher depressive symptom scores” (“Social Media Use and Adolescent Mental Health: Findings From the UK Millennium Cohort Study,” December 2018); )
The Surgeon General has determined that social media poses a significant health risk
46% of adolescents say social media makes them feel worse
Teens are now accessing sports betting to the point that the NIH calls it “an epidemic”
1 https://www.tandfonline.com/doi/abs/10.1080/03634523.2013.767917
2 https://www.tandfonline.com/doi/full/10.1080/01443410.2018.1489046
3 https://journals.sagepub.com/doi/10.1177/2158244015573169
4 https://www.journals.uchicago.edu/doi/10.1086/691462
5 https://www.sciencedirect.com/science/article/abs/pii/S0022103117301737?via%3Dihub
See this link for more information / data: https://www.afterbabel.com/p/phone-free-schools