THE SKY DIDN'T FALL IN AFTER GOV. ABBOT BANNED CELLPHONES IN TEXAS SCHOOLS

Galveston County schools see rise in student engagement after cell phone ban

 

By Lauren Frick 

 

The Galveston County Daily News

Sep 26, 2025 

 

Governor Greg Abbott in Amarillo to ceremonially sign legislation in July 2025 that bans cell phones in schools

 

When Eva Purcell, a Spanish teacher at Ball High School in Galveston, heard Gov. Greg Abbott in June signed legislation banning student cell phone use during the school day, her first thought was one of horror.

“Horrified, because the kids are so used to having it, and we use it as part of the instruction; for googling everything and research; then they’re just generally addicted to it,” Purcell said. “So the withdrawal, I just couldn’t anticipate it.

“I thought it would be absolutely horrible.”

But to Purcell’s — and many Galveston County school districts’ — welcomed surprise the transition has been smoother than she could have imagined.

“I think it’s the best thing that could have happened to our teenagers,” Purcell said.

House Bill 1481, which Abbott signed on June 20, requires public school districts and open enrollment charter schools to have a written policy prohibiting use of a “personal communication device” on school property during the school day.

The bill defines a personal communication device as a telephone, cell phone such as a smartphone or flip phone, tablet, smartwatch, radio device, paging device or any other electronic device capable of telecommunication or digital communication.

Schools also are required to have disciplinary actions in place for students who break the rules, including the possibility of confiscating their phones. Students who need their phones for medical or safety reasons are allowed to keep them.

When Ball High seniors Danielle Garcia and Domian Ortiz first heard about the ban, they couldn’t believe it, they said.

“I didn’t think it was real at first,” Garcia said.

“I didn’t think it was going be too serious,” Ortiz added. “But then they were talking about how it was a law and stuff like that and it really came into effect here.”

Many school officials across the county expressed the importance of the ban being a law, as opposed to just a school district rule change when it came to enforcement.

“Now, all campuses follow the same guidelines, which creates consistency and fairness for students and staff,” said Sharon Lopez, executive director of secondary schools at Clear Creek ISD.

‘NOT WORTH THE DISRUPTION’

Like Purcell, the consensus among county school districts is students have adjusted much quicker and there have been far fewer infractions than anticipated.

Students are recognizing that phones simply aren’t the disruption, said Stephanie Lyssy, spokeswoman for Santa Fe ISD.

School district officials also aren’t seeing many repeat offenders, with students often adjusting their behavior after a first warning or phone confiscation.

“Far fewer students than anticipated have experienced consequences due to the changes, and most situations are not escalating beyond the campus level,” said Matthew Neighbors, superintendent at Galveston ISD.

Many school districts have policies that require students to have their phones turned off and stowed away in their backpack and have various approaches to consequences and confiscation.

Some districts, like Galveston ISD purchased pocket-style holders to hold confiscated phones in classrooms, while Texas City ISD purchased a small number of secure storage cases for phones that are confiscated.

HB 1481 also made it so districts couldn’t charge a confiscation fee as a way to deter cell phone use — a welcomed change for Kendra Sowell, a behavioral specialist and varsity volleyball coach at Hitchcock ISD.

Prior to the legislation, some districts in the county charged a fee of $15 if a phone was confiscated.

“We’re in a low socio-economic community, so you’re asking kids, or a parent who may not be able to afford food, to spend $15 on the phone because of a student’s misbehavior, or something like that,” Sowell said.

“I think, all the way around, it’s just been nowhere near as stressful.”

‘MORE INVOLVED’

While teachers and administrators are on board for the ban, some students still are on the fence, with many sharing similar reservations about the possibility of not having their phone during an emergency or adjusting to classes that sometimes used cell phones for instruction.

Some students, like Hitchcock High School student Amy Flores, are noticing even the smallest changes in a school day without cell phones.

“I felt like it was gonna be harder to capture my senior year,” Flores said. “I feel like I can’t make as many videos as I want to because of the cell phone policies.”

But even the students still adjusting to the new policy see the positive effects of the ban, especially in the classroom.

Many students said they felt more focused in instruction and are pushed to collaborate more with their classmates.

“I honestly feel like it’s been more involved,” said Elijah Reynolds, a junior at Ball High School. “I feel like I’ve been able to concentrate this year.”

Purcell has seen only positive changes in her classrooms since the cell phone ban, she said.

“The interaction with me and the students has increased,” Purcell said. “Their interaction with each other; they’re helping each other; they’re communicating.

“Before, everything was on their phone. They didn’t have to ask anybody else. They just googled whatever they wanted to. So having the phones put away, they’re forced to engage more.”

Sowell is confident the academic improvement post-ban will be noticeable.

“I feel like they’re more in tune with their grades,” Sowell said. “I feel like now, not having the phone as a distraction, they’re absolutely more engaged in, I have this assignment due; let me figure out how to get this done. They’re completing assignments ahead of time and not being frantic and procrastinating until the night before.”

‘LESS DRAMA’

The cell phone ban’s impact isn’t just limited to instruction time. Both Ball and Hitchcock High School students noted a noticeable decrease in physical fights and drama, which largely was stemming from social media and cell phone use during school hours.

“It definitely has made a dramatic, like a really, really big change,” Hitchcock senior Hana Galvan said. “Our school is so small, so if anything is on social media, they go and they’re like, hey, this person posted this or this person is talking about this person online, so it is a conflict.

“But banning the devices, it definitely has made a change, and there’s less drama; there’s less fights.”

Most school districts in the county had some sort of phone policy prohibiting use during instruction time before the ban, meaning that the biggest adjustment has been in the hallways and at lunch time.

With 30 minutes to an hour of no screen or instructional time, Sowell — who monitors Hitchcock High School’s lunch periods — has witnessed levels of student interaction and engagement not seen since she was in school in the ‘90s.

“I’ve seen people reading not just magazines; they’re reading novels,” Sowell said. “Kids are asking for help with their homework; helping other students with algebra. I’ve seen coloring sheets. I’ve been in on numerous Uno games.”

Many students also shared experiences making new friends or talking with people they normally wouldn’t as a result of the cell phone ban.

“Kids who normally sit at tables by themselves are actually sitting at tables and talking in groups,” Sowell said. “You’d see stereotypical things; you have the football players and the athletes or the dancers or the band members.

“Now, I’m literally going up, what do you do? I play soccer. Oh, I’m in the band. I don’t do anything at all. I’m a trainer. And they’re all sitting together, and they’re all talking, and they’re eating lunch together. So it’s just been a really cool experience to see.”