MORE CALIFORNIA SCHOOLS ARE BANNING SMARTPHONES, BUT KIDS KEEP BRINGING THEM

At Bullard High School in Fresno, it's easy to see the benefits of banning students' cellphones. Bullying is down and socialization is up, principal Armen Torigian said.

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Enforcing the smartphone restrictions? That's been harder.

Instead of putting their devices in magnetically locked pouches, like they're supposed to, some kids will stick something else in there instead, like a disused old phone, a calculator, a glue bottle or just the phone case. Others attack the pouch, pulling at stitches, cutting the bottom, or defacing it so it looks closed when it's really open. Most students comply, but those who don't create disproportionate chaos.

"You should see how bad it is," Torigian said. "It's great to say no phones, but I don't think people realize the addiction of the phones and what students will go to to tell you 'No, you're not taking my phone."

Bullard, which began restricting phones two years ago, is a step ahead of other schools around the state that have moved recently to prohibit cellphones in classrooms. Bullard and other pioneering schools offer a preview of how such bans might play out as they become more common. Educators who have enacted the smartphone restrictions said they help bolster student participation and reduce bullying but also raise challenges, like how to effectively keep phones locked up against determined students and how to identify and treat kids truly addicted to their devices.