Severing the Cord

In late February 2020, Head of School Jennifer Galambos attended the National Association of Independent Schools annual conference, in Philadelphia. Among the dozens of speakers, one in particular stood out: the social psychologist and New York Times bestselling author Jonathan Haidt, who talked about a troublesome correlation between the rise in adolescent depression and anxiety and the negative impact of social media, on girls in particular.

Dr. Haidt’s words resonated with Dr. Galambos. A month later, when COVID hit and screen time soared, they became prophetic. She continued to follow Dr. Haidt’s work and did some research of her own.

In 2023, when Middle School Director Neisha Payne expressed her concerns over cell phone policy infractions, Dr. Galambos knew it was time for a change.

“When you look at the data, it’s hard to deny,” says Dr. Galambos. “As educators, we have a moral and ethical responsibility to support students’ academic and social-emotional development. And the data tell us that the school day can be a happier, more engaged experience if they don’t have phones.”

So what happened?

At the start of the 2023–2024 academic year, Middle Schoolers were no longer expected to keep their phones turned off and in their bookbags — a policy that had led, according to Ms. Payne, to clandestine bathroom breaks and locker runs for sneak peeks at devices. Now, each morning students drop their phones in a series of mini-mailboxes, located near lockers so they’re visible and easily retrievable at the end of the day.

At first, student reaction was aggrieved. But privately, says Ms. Payne, they thanked her. “Kent Place Middle Schoolers are vocal leaders and advocates. I regularly get proposals from them if they disagree with something and want to suggest a change,” she says. “Last year, I didn’t receive a single proposal about the revised cell-phone policy.” Some students even stopped bringing their phones to school altogether.

A few months into the modified policy, Dr. Galambos sought out a group of 16 eighth-graders. “They articulated vociferously that they were more engaged and more present with one another,” she says, noting that they also divulged their imaginative moniker for the new mailboxes: “cell-phone jail.”

“By their own admission,” says Dr. Galambos, “we’re achieving success in eliminating some of the stress that a device can cause during the day.”

For the most part, parents, too, are grateful: The revised policy affords children and their parents more school-day independence, says the Head of School. Now, when she and Ms. Payne walk the hallways, they see more conversation and togetherness. Detention points have fallen as well.

Upper Schoolers, too, now have more opportunity for screen-free connection. A similar revised cell-phone policy was implemented in the Upper School at the start of the 2024–2025 academic year. Dr. Galambos is confident the results among older students will be equally positive.

“As our annual student survey has shown, Kent Place is by and large educating healthy and resilient young women,” she says. “Eliminating phones during the academic day is just one next step in developing young women who are in charge of their own destiny.”

This article is featured in the fall 2024 issue of Kent Place magazine.