Our middle school has banned phones during school hours, and it's been great. Even though most kids own phones and have them in their backpacks, they aren't seen. There are less problems during classes and kids have to talk to each other during lunch instead of going head down in their phones. Parental pushback has been really minimal - most parents love it, and it's good for the kids.
Making no phones a blanket policy in all schools should be an absolute no-brainer.
Making no phones a blanket policy in all schools should be an absolute no-brainer.