Hoping to lead the way to cellphone-free campuses, San Luis Obispo Classical Academy (SLOCA) cut the ribbon on cubby boxes for its new Phone Hotel with the hopes of teaching students mindfulness.
“It’s a big box that we made fancy with a neon sign to make it look like an actual hotel because students don’t like dropping their phones off,” SLOCA Director of Marketing and Merchandising Betsi Ashby said. “We’re still trying to make it playful and not make it seem like it’s a punishment, because that’s not the way we see it.”
SLOCA prides itself on being a cellphone-free school and keeping the focus on learning and strengthening in-person conversation skills. In the cellphone hotel, each student has their name assigned to a cubby space in the front office where they put their phones during class times and can pick them up at break, lunch, and after school.
“It’s a bit of an honor system. It’s kind of monitored by the front desk but we really rely on our students, first and foremost, to turn in and check it in themselves and check it out,” Ashby said. “But since we have it labeled per student, it’s pretty easy to see which cellphones are still checked out when they shouldn’t be, like when everyone’s in class.”
Ashby said teachers have noticed high levels of engagement and participation throughout instruction time, and since the hotel’s opening there haven’t been any sneaky attempts to look at phones in the middle of class.
“Teachers are never competing with phones,” she said. “I notice when students have a free period or during lunch, that they actually hang out, talk, are playful, etc. It’s really refreshing to see, especially since in almost any other setting with a group of teens, you see them all on their phones, barely interacting.”
Other California schools could soon follow suit. On Sept. 23, Gov. Gavin Newsom signed Assembly Bill 3216, the Phone-Free School Act that is requiring every school district, charter school, and county office of education to develop a policy limiting the use of smartphones by July 1, 2026.
“We know that excessive smartphone use increases anxiety, depression, and other mental health issues—but we have the power to intervene,” Newsom said in a statement. “This new law will help students focus on academics, social development, and the world in front of them, not their screens, when they’re in school.”
According to Newsom’s office and a recent Pew Research Center survey, 72 percent of high school and 33 percent of middle school teachers report cellphone distractions as a major problem, with reports of 97 percent of students using their phones during school day for a median of 43 minutes.
The new law would still allow students to use their phones in case of emergencies or in response to perceived danger—or when OK’d by a teacher, administrator, doctor, or the student’s individualized education plan.
“The development of the policies will involved significant stakeholder participation to ensure they are responsive to the unique needs and desires of the local students, parents, and educators,” Newsom said in the statement.
Fast fact
• CoastHills Credit Union is holding a grand reopening celebration for its Atascadero branch on Oct. 25 from 11 a.m. to 2 p.m. The first 200 guests will be treated to free tacos from Buenos Diaz Mexican Grill and will receive a CoastHills mug. KJUG will provide music, and credit union and Atascadero Chamber of Commerce officials will hold a ribbon-cutting ceremony at noon. The branch reopened in September—it had been closed for repairs for a year after winter storms damaged the building. CoastHills, a not-for-profit credit union, serves more than 76,000 member-owners. Founded on Vandenberg Air Force Base in 1958, CoastHills now operates 12 Central Coast branches and a locally staffed call center. For more information, visit coasthills.coop. Δ
Reach Staff Writer Samantha Herrera at sherrera@newtimesslo.com.
This article appears in Pet Issue 2024.