California passes school cellphone restrictions. But some students find workarounds

Student use their cellphones after unlocking the pouches that secure them from use during the school day at Bayside Academy in San Mateo. David and former Dymally teacher Ryan Quinn said students have brought multiple phones to school or bought their own magnet to unlock the pouch — and some even charge other students to use it. This way, Johnson said, students still have access to their phone on their “own time” — nutrition, lunch, and passing periods — but are not distracted in class. “We’re trying to prepare kids to be adults… so it’s important to teach the kids how to manage their usage of their cellphone.” Students attend class at Dorsey High School in April 2023. But “in an emergency, things are happening so quickly that taking the time to text or having the blue light of the phone is not going to help.. you may have missed really important instructions.” Sadie Hoodenpyle — a 12th-grader who has been through three campus lockdowns — said the idea that students shouldn’t be able to use their phones in emergencies is “a little out of touch.” Her first instinct, she said, is to text her sister Piper — who also attends GALA — and make sure she is OK. Then she lets her parents know she is OK, a convenience that their mom, Skye Peyton, described as a double-edged sword.