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No Cellphones Allowed
Dmitry Kostyukov/The New York Times/Redux
Eighth graders on their cellphones after school in Paris
Students in France must say “au revoir” to their cellphones. A law went into effect there at the beginning of the school year that bans students in first through ninth grades from using their phones on school premises. High schools can decide whether to adopt the rule for older students. French officials hope it will help students concentrate better and cut down on cyberbullying. But in the U.S., many schools are doing the opposite: They’re getting rid of cellphone bans. The percentage of U.S. schools with bans declined from 91 percent in the 2009-10 school year to 66 percent in 2015-16. Many school officials say students need to be able to contact their families in an emergency. So how can you resist the urge to check your phone in class? “Turn off notifications,” says Kelly Mendoza, a digital learning expert at Common Sense Media. “The apps on your phones are trying to get your attention.”