JACKSON, Tenn. — A veteran educator, Dr. LaDonna Braswell considers herself a courageous leader.

So it’s with that spirit, she and her team at Liberty Technology High School in Jackson, Tennessee took a bold step last school year and banned cell phones.

“We had to put a system in place that’s going to remove as many barriers as possible so that teaching and learning could take place. So we looked at the cell phone policy,” explained Dr. Braswell.

Braswell had implemented a similar policy at a middle school where she was principal and now, for the second year at Liberty, cell phones will be taken up at the beginning of the day and given back at the end.

When asked how it worked out last year, Dr. Braswell responded, “Seamlessly. It was the best. If you ever ask any of our teachers and some scholars, they’ll tell you it’s the best thing that has happened.”

Prior to Braswell’s arrival at Liberty, she explained there was already a policy in place that required students to put their cell phones away during class, however, that didn’t always work out.

“Throughout class they’re still finding a way to text and so it was just a distraction. So we knew that we had to create a system that removed the completely out, and off the teacher from having this tug of war with children,” added Dr. Braswell.

So, Liberty created a new policy that requires students to turn in their cell phones as soon as they enter the building, prior to going through the metal detector. Phones are returned at the end of the school day.

The administrators converted the concession stand, into the cell phone room which is where the phones are collected in the morning.

Students’ cell phones and all wearable devices are placed in a large plastic bag. They receive a numbered ticket and a corresponding ticket is placed in the plastic bag. Those plastic bags are placed into boxes labeled with the student’s 4th block teacher. The cell phone room is locked until the boxes are delivered to the teachers at the end of the school day. The teachers then pull the tickets to return the devices.

“Match the ticket, he’ll call this number and if they match, the kid gets the cell phone,” said Braswell.

The first time a student violates the policy, the school keeps the phone until the next day.
Two strikes, it’s three days. A third offense leaves discretion to the principal.

Braswell told WREG, “Usually, we don’t get to the third.”

She added, “Our children bought in quicker than parents, believe it or not.”

Parents, were mainly concerned about safety, something Braswell says she completely understands.

“We had to educate the parents on the system because I’m a parent as well.”

She continued, “We had to explain to the parents, regardless of what may happen at the school. The cell phone is not going to be an extra layer of safety. Meaning, God forbid we had an active shooter, you can’t come on site, no one can come on site,” explained Dr. Braswell when discussing safety protocol.

Liberty won’t be alone this school year. State lawmakers passed a law this spring banning cell phones during instructional time. School districts across Tennessee are having to adjust their policies for electronic device usage as the new school year begins.

Memphis Shelby County School parents, like Tamara Burnett, who oppose the idea expressed similar worries about safety.

“I think it’s a little bit absurd because emergencies do happen at the school. Sometimes there’s bomb threats, active shooters and the kids are afraid and they need to call their parents,” said Burnett who has children in elementary and middle school.

Burnett says she’d rather see teachers strictly enforce rules already in place designed to keep students off their phones.

Just last week the Memphis Shelby County School Board approved a new policy requiring devices be powered off and stored out of sight in a designated location.

Memphis schools approve cell phone ban policy

Austin Hall is an 11th grader who hopes to get around the new rule his mom supports.

“I also do understand why y’all are banning cell phones because a lot of students have been cheating lately, you know ChatGPT, taking pictures of the test and stuff, I understand why y’all want to get rid of that but I’m still gonna have my phone, said Hall to WREG.

Meanwhile, Austin’s mother, Cynthia Furdge-Rogers told NewsChannel3, “I’m 100 percent in with there being the ban. I feel like the students are so distracted while they’re in school, they have their headphones in and they’re always not focused on their school work so I feel like the ban would allow them to completely focus.”

Focus is exactly what Dr. Braswell says students at Liberty Tech have found.

Braswell explained, “We don’t have a lot of distractions.”

She continued, “And we don’t have a lot of disciplinary issues. Our disciplinary infractions were down about 33 percent just in this first year.”

Furthermore, what the data can’t say, but Braswell sees she says, is kids are connecting.

Dr. Braswell exclaimed, “If you walk by the classroom, they’re having a small group conversation. You go in the cafeteria, they are talking to one another. They are having school!”