Pasco High principal: phone policy reduced disruptions and boosted engagement

Principal Machado described the schoolwide phone policy at Pasco High School as producing clear classroom benefits: teachers spend less time enforcing phone rules, freshmen arriving from middle schools with a no-phone expectation were more engaged, and students were more likely to play outside during lunch than sit on devices.

"Teachers especially appreciated no longer having to establish and enforce their own cell phone policies in their classrooms with one consistent expectation across the entire system here at Pasco High School," Machado said, explaining that the consistent approach reduced disruptions and allowed more instructional time.

Machado said the policy created consistency across classrooms, reinforced shared expectations, and helped teachers focus on instruction and relationship-building rather than repeated disciplinary conversations.