Teacher Voices:
Phone-free policy improves student engagement and well being
NEW! After the Thetford students made a video we realized we needed to highlight teacher voices too! Here's the interviews from Harwood Union Middle and High School.
Student Voices:
Phone-Free School experience overwhelmingly positive
Thetford Academy students have phones locked during their full school day. They made this video to inspire legislators to pass H54/S21 (Phone & Social Media Free Schools)
We are a grassroots movement of educators, students, parents, grandparents, health care providers, legislators, and neighbors advocating for a phone and social-media free school day for all Vermont schools. These policies increase academic focus, improve mental health and cultivate stronger social cohesion.
Increase academic
focus
72% of high school teachers report that cell phones are a major distraction in the classroom. Common Sense Media found that teenagers receive a median of 273
texts or other notifications a day, with nearly a quarter coming during school hours.² Some students get up to 4500 daily.
Improve mental health
"I can breathe again," a student at Thetford Academy told her principal early into this school year's phone-free school day.
Increase social cohesion
Phone-free schools notice more face-to-face conversations.
Cases of bullying (a big drain on staff time) tend to decrease by nearly 50%. One VT school saw HHB cases (hazing, harassment, and bullying) go down 77% in their first phone-free semester!
LATEST NEWS
International Webinar: Phone-Free on a Budget
March 21, 2025
Hear from principals at both small and large schools having big wins with no to low-cost procedures!
250 RSVPs from over 35 states and 4 countries! Moderated by Rep. Arsenault!

* 15 min. version
: https://drive.google.com/file/d/1o9oJUC1fGDB8aOXaEePGYqMdegXw4FU4/view?usp=drive_link
* 40 min. version
: https://drive.google.com/file/d/1vG3LvXzgeVlkEW3Iv52cYYazZINmFNHB/view?usp=drive_link
3/7/25 Jonathan Haidt, internationally recognized bestselling author, publishes Op Ed re: H.54 / S.21 in VT Digger
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"Vermont stands poised to take among strongest efforts in the nation to protect our children"
2/26/25 Dozen of students were joined by educators, parents, grandparents, and healthcare providers from around the state to urge legislators to make the Phone and Social Media-Free Schools bill (H.54 / S.21) a priority. We also presented our letter of support to key legislators and Gov. Scott--signed by over 1000 supporters from around the state. Currently, neither the Senate or House Education Committee is willing to put it on their agenda before the Crossover date of March 14th. They won't schedule testimony, so we reserved Room 11 for our own time of testimony. Watch HERE.
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4:50 Welcome by Robin Junker, parent of 3 and pastor in Thetford
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11:00 Ben Clark--parent, Harwood Union School Board, Special Educator at Tuttle MS in So. Burl. (both fully phone-free)
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18:30 Rima Carlson--parent, Family Physician at Integrative Family Medicine in Montpelier
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28:00 Kelly Saphier--parent, ESL instructor at Lamoille South which has gone phone-free
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35:00 George "Bud" Vana, General Pediatrician, Adult & Child Psychologist
40:00 very powerful testimony from the AMAZING students from Thetford Academy and elsewhere (not listing names without student/parental consent)
57:45 Adam Sargent, parent and soc. studies teacher at Harwood Union
On Jan. 29, 2025 Rep. Angela Arsenault (D-Williston) introduced the Phone and Social Media-Free Schools bill (H.54) to the House Committee on Education.. It's very informative and inspiring. Click here to play the video.
