What the 'bell-to-bell, no cell' policy looks like for the Pine City School District

Starting on the first day of the 2025-2026 school year, students in the Pine City School District will no longer have access to cell phones, smartwatches, and earbuds from 'bell to bell' during the school day.

As the district prepares for a new school year to begin, school board member Becci Palmblade and elementary school principal Sarah Kloeckl shared their perspectives about the planning, implementation, and rollout behind the new policy.

'A lot of time, a lot of dedication, a lot of research'

Palmblade explained that the cell phone policy has been over a year in the making, with teachers coming forward about potentially putting a policy or procedure in place.

"It was really the teachers that made the big push for this for student safety," she said.

A "more structured and procedural" cell phone policy was also mandated for Minnesota schools by March 15.

"We actually just took the opportunity to be thoughtful of what our cell phone policy should look like, make those adjustments now, while it is also mandated by the state, and be thoughtful of our students' safety, of our culture, what we really want it to look like," Palmblade said.

Palmblade said the district's policy committee put "a lot of time, a lot of dedication, a lot of research" to structure the policy that's now being implemented.

Pine City looked to neighboring districts when crafting the policy, including Willow River and Rush City.

"We took a lot of the actual policy from Pierz," Palmblade said.

That scope was also expanded nationwide, especially when pertaining to how districts rolled out similar policies.

"We really wanted to do this right," Palmblade said.

When it came to addressing medical exceptions, Palmblade, a registered nurse, said she discussed the policy with colleagues. The district also collaborated with diabetic educators and patients to discuss what a day would look like with a cell phone ban.

According to a notice from the district issued on Aug. 5, the preferred option for students is to leave their devices at home.

Kloeckl explained that if students at the elementary school choose to bring a cell phone, each classroom will be equipped with a lockbox with a slot assigned for each student.

The students' phones will be kept in the lockbox from 8 a.m. until the end of the school day.

At the high school, students who will be in school for the full day will leave their cell phone in their eight-period class for secure storage.

Palmblade said the high school procedure required "a little bit of a workaround," but was a collaborative process with the activities director, administration, principals, and teachers.

"In the policy, it also says if you will be leaving early, or a later absence, there is another location that students can drop their cell phones off, at the front office, or the office upstairs," Palmblade said.

New principal, new policy

Kloeckl, who recently served as the Director of Special Education with the St. Croix River Education District, began as the Pine City Elementary School principal in July.

With her first school year in the position ahead, Kloeckl shared that fostering 'connection and engagement' is a core tenet of the new policy.

"We all have cell phones, and it can distract us. We can get sucked in. So we really want our learners to interact with each other, work on social skills, form relationships, and engage with that learning on a daily and hourly basis," she said. "So we're really excited at the elementary school."

Kloeckl added that an email has been sent to elementary school families to walk through the new procedures and alleviate concerns.

"One of the things that has come forward to me is, 'how will I get ahold of my learner during the day?'" Kloeckl said. "So they'll be able to call the office, and we can relay messages. And if our learners really feel like they need to get a hold of their families, they can connect with their teacher, come down to the office, and we can support that happening."

Kloeckl said she's seen a lot of positive community interactions regarding the new policy.

Addressing 'all the what-ifs"

Palmblade said the district worked diligently to address all the possible "what-ifs" stemming from the new policy.

"Everything that could possibly happen, we tried to tackle it and address it," she explained. "All the what-ifs that we could think of. I feel like we did a really diligent job on trying to check off all the boxes."

Palmblade added that anxieties about the new policy from students and parents are inevitable, and acknowledged the change will require "a bit of practice" during the early going of the district's implementation.

"It's going to take some time to adjust, but the benefits are going to outweigh the hassle on this one," she said. "I'm actually really proud of our work that we did on this."

Palmblade added that student safety is paramount with the cell phone policy, and believes it will help students "feel less on edge and anxious about everyday life and interactions."

"There have been some pretty big cases that have come through the school district because of bullying, and a lot of it happened through cell phones," she said. "Had this policy been in place, that could have all been eliminated."

Palmblade said a storage unit is expected to be on display for students and parents at back-to-school night on Aug. 27.

Families with questions regarding the policy can also reach out to school administration for information.

"We hope that this policy doesn't cause frustration and anxiety and concern, and if it does, please reach out and we can answer whatever questions you might have," Palmblade said. "There's probably an answer for any issue that you can think of. We've tried to think of it all."