Wauwatosa School District students are experiencing notable gains in learning, focus, and socialization following the implementation of a landmark Personal Communication Devices (PCD) policy update. Across the district, staff report increased student interaction and participation in class, fewer large-scale behavioral incidents, and higher overall engagement during school activities and assemblies.
Phones away all day
These positive shifts stem from the district’s most significant behavior-change policy in years. In June 2025—following growing concern regarding the impact of smartphones on student learning, mental health, and social development—the Wauwatosa School Board voted unanimously to update Policy 5136: Personal Communications Devices.
Beginning with the 2025-26 school year, students districtwide are required to keep cellphones, smartwatches, laptops, tablets, and other personal electronic devices off their person (such as in a locker or vehicle) for the duration of the school day. With this bell-to-bell restriction, Wauwatosa became one of the first districts in the region to join a growing national movement.
Amy Fetherston, a math and computer science teacher at Wauwatosa West High School, said not having to police cellphone use in the classroom has given her more time to teach and build relationships with her students.
“Our hallways just feel calmer,” Fetherston said. “I am able to stand in the hallway during passing time and actually have conversations with students. … Overall, the building feels more connected and less distracted.”
Following the policy update, surveyed students reported feeling less stress, and students adapted quickly to the new technology-use guidelines. Policy violations across secondary schools dropped by more than 40% within the first three weeks of the 2025-26 school year.
At Wauwatosa East High School, administrative assistant Tisa Blake said students have been spotted playing cards and board games at lunch, and far more students now gather to face off in ping-pong and foosball in the downstairs cafeteria.
“People are definitely talking to each other more, and they’re definitely more on track …,” said East High School senior Patrick Weis. “There’s less of an incentive to put off doing your work at school.”
Research-backed, community-centered strategy
The PCD policy change was grounded in community feedback, districtwide survey data, and research from New York University’s Tech and Society Lab. Leading up to the policy launch, the district’s Division of Pupil and Family Supports worked closely with school communities to set clear expectations, outline consequences, and engage families.
Shortly after the policy was implemented, West High School English teacher Madelyn Price started to notice her students spending more time on their assignments, procrastinating less, and reading for pleasure more than she’s ever seen.
“They know that they have their own addictions and habits with their smart devices and felt that it was easier to fully immerse in the at-school mindset without their phones there to distract them,” Price said.
With phones off and away, secondary school librarians have observed more students using the library spaces. In fact, librarians report that students have checked out more physical and digital materials since the PCD policy update went into effect.
“My grades definitely have improved not having that distraction on me,” East High School junior Zoey Lasse said. “I have more time to do my homework throughout the school day, and I also feel like everyone gets along more not having social media as a part of our school day.”
Lasse admitted that the new rules were a “big adjustment at first,” but said, with time, many students have come to appreciate them.
“I feel like a lot of people are happy that it’s a rule and not a choice they have to make,” she said, adding this puts less social pressure on students to do the right thing.
Supporting school culture, educational goals
By removing constant digital distractions, the district is cultivating a calm, focused learning environment that fosters deeper literacy engagement, stronger student well-being, and meaningful face-to-face connections to directly serve Wauwatosa School District’s overarching school culture and educational goals.
The district continues to monitor the social, emotional, and academic benefits of maintaining a connected, distraction-free learning environment. To learn more, please visit wauwatosaschools.org/pcd.