Bell to "Ring-Ring-Ring"

By William Gaskill

Indiana’s “bell-to-bell” law—perhaps better known as the cellphone restriction

law—officially went into effect July 1, 2026 to eliminate distractions and support

teachers. First come the complaints, then the fear, and then the question: is this actually

making a difference?

The legislation, while the core concern is nearly unanimously agreed to be at

least understandable, has been a controversial topic since it was introduced. Whether it

is a parent who is worried about contacting their child, a student who’s eager to text

their best friend back, or a teacher who’s trying to hold the room’s

attention—perspectives on the issue remain sharply divided.

“Students seem to be less distracted because they're not worried about who's

texting me, what's going on on Snapchat,” said Laura Sigler, assistant principal at

Mishawaka High School. “They know all of their friends aren't on their phones, so

they're not as worried about being on it either.”

A survey conducted by Pew Research Center found that 72% of high school

teachers reported students’ cellphone use as a major problem in their classroom,

compared with 33% of middle school teachers. In response to reported disruptions,

decline in academic performance, and mental health crises involving reported feelings

of persistent sadness or hopelessness, the law was authored by State Senator Jeff

Raatz (R) and Senator Greg Goode (R) and further approved by Indiana Governor Mike

Braun (R).

“Prior to the cell phone ban, what I noticed was a lot of phones being used on

occasion as a distraction,” said Randy Ebright, freshman English teacher at Mishawaka

High School. “Kids would multitask, earbuds would be in, those types of things. It led to

a lot of what I refer to as ‘distracted learning,’ where we're learning, but maybe not to

the best of our ability.”

Educators globally who have imposed bell-to-bell bans have reported that there

are fewer disruptions in class and students seem to be less distracted and less

stressed—but test scores, attendance, and mental health have not significantly

improved yet. In fact, initially, behavioral issues had only increased—a study by the

NBER, National Bureau of Economic Research, reported a 16% uptick in suspension

rate being seen in prior first-year implementations before decelerating.

“I do foresee some potential for behavior issues to come up. But if students are

not allowed to have their phones, what else can they do for that escapism?” said

Ebright.

The National Parents Union latest school safety survey found that 78% of

parents that were polled prefer their children to have access to their cellphone during

the school day—not only due to safety concerns, but to organize transportation. Critics

argue that students can contact their parents via classroom phones.

“For me, I don't really care about having it in class,” said Aurora Ford, freshman

at Mishawaka High School. “I'm just worried about students not being able to contact

their parents and family members and important people in their life in emergencies.”

It is important to note the exceptions to the law. The law legally permits students

who need to have their cellphone on them—people who manage diabetes, cardiac

conditions, seizure disorders, etc—to keep it on them during the school day. Teachers

may still improperly confiscate them if official documentation is not communicated.

Sophomore Nova Lekarczyk said, “That's a big concern for people with a lot of

health issues. Especially with people with diabetes. I have a friend here who has

diabetes and she got sent down three times for having her phone on her even though

she's allowed.”

Similarly, certain AP, dual-credit classes, student media, and school journalism

state-wide have been left a little lost. The law has created problems for classes that

utilize phones for instructional time. Educators in Indiana who were interviewed by the

Indiana Capital Chronicle report many dual-credit, advanced placement, or both

students must access material through a QR code offered by university partners. High

school journalism and other student media classes report frustration with the inability to

use their phones to record interviews, take pictures, and fulfill other journalistic duties.

“I had to pivot really quickly when I realized my journalism students don't have

any way to record,” said Christie Buchmann, Newspaper Adviser at Mishawaka High

School. “That has been difficult, but teachers and admin are working with us to be able

to record. They're being understanding while we wait for our recorders to come in.”

The bell-to-bell law has sparked mass controversy from all sides—despite only

being in effect for a little over two months. As the year goes on, the impact on student

behavior, engagement, and learning will expectantly be more clear.