As Mercersburg Academy enters the 2026-2027 school year, students are encountering an abrupt change in their school day: restricted cell phone use.
The updated policy stems from the growing presence of phones during the academic day when students are walking to and from class or eating in the dining hall. Head of School Quentin McDowell stated, “we are certainly not the first to put limits on cell phone usage. All of our peer institutions that are ahead of us report that their student bodies have come to prefer their new environment with fewer phones.”
In addition to phone pockets in classrooms, phone use has been restricted inside all academic spaces and during class transition periods during the academic day from 8:40am to 3:30pm. Phones are also no longer permitted in the dining hall Monday through Saturday, breakfast through dinner. During the school day they are allowed only in the Simon Student Center, dormitories, and off campus.
Associate Head of School Jeremy LaCasse said, “the phone policy is an attempt to limit the amount of distraction that students face from what has scientifically been demonstrated [to be] totally unhelpful.” Jennifer Smith, Dean of Academic Affairs, emphasized the addictive nature of social media and short-form content. She said, “the more we see people on their phones, the more we hear them say they have too much work and don’t have any free time.” History faculty Erin Caretti echoed this statement, speaking about how students already face high academic pressure, combined with rising anxiety and depression rates among teens, creates a “pressure cooker.” The phone policy provides a possibility for “healthier distractions, like goofing around with your friends.”
However, this change does not come without its challenges. For students, it can be hard to navigate daily schedules without Google Calendar or Veracross. With five minutes between classes, for some students, like Nuri Lee ’30, time becomes problematic: “I need to put my phone in my bag, then I don’t have enough time to know where to move next.” Another skeptical student, Siwen Wan ’30, said, “[I’ve] heard a lot of complaints so far, and it’s only been two weeks of school... I don’t think [the phone policy] will be there for long.”
Liz Young ’27, whose phone was confiscated, criticized the policy: “sometimes you just don’t want to talk to the people next to you, especially because most of us live with each other, so we’re constantly around everyone. It’s nice to take a break.”
Recognizing the frustration voiced by students, Smith said, “I understand why students might not like it and I hope students can see there are benefits for them.” Regarding the policy’s long-term implementation, she added, “I think it will keep evolving. We’ll see what works and what doesn’t.”
Ultimately, the new policy represents a work in progress that will inevitably shift as the school year continues. As students adapt to the phone-restricted campus, we are left to balance the convenience of phones against interpersonal connection.