As more states and school districts pass cellphone pans, new benefits are emerging in unexpected ways. Take Texas, for example …
Last year, it enacted a statewide cellphone ban that went into effect for the 2025-2026 school year. After nearly two full semesters, the Dallas Independent School District (Dallas ISD) has seen a stark, district-wide increase in library book checkouts that staff and administration attribute to a lack of phones in the classroom.
Specifically, Dallas ISD saw an increase of over 200,000 additional books checked out, compared to the year prior. The spike has allowed the district to circulate over one million books with two months to go before the school year ends.
Across the two school years, the jump in circulation of books from 872,430 to 1,084,837 (as of March 31 each year) represents a surprising 24.35% increase in library checkouts once cellphones were banned from the classroom.
Now, teachers and administrators are hearing about students turn back to books as phones are no longer at arm’s reach between classes or during lunch. Hillcrest High School librarian Nina Canales has observed that once students “lock into these stories, they don’t seem to care about their phones at all.”
After the initial shock subsided, students are now vocalizing their perspectives on the new policy, with many noting that they don’t miss their phones as much as they expected. With school work, college applications, and a rediscovered love of reading, some students even share that they are on their phones less at home, too.
Teachers and parents have the power, and now the opportunity, to reignite a love of reading in their children. Dallas ISD seen the benefits of encouraging children to “lock in” on books, and North and South Carolina school districts can, too.
This is only the latest story on the benefits these reforms are having in our school communities. We also want to hear from you: What are you seeing in your communities? Are you finding benefits, fewer classroom distractions, or more of the same? Write to us at info@schoolboardleader.com to share your thoughts.