Many students returning to Minnesota classrooms this year will find new restrictions in place on cellphone use.

A number of schools implemented policies on cellphones last year, but this year is the first that districts are mandated to have one.

District-wide policies provide consistency for schools and staff, said Jamil Payton, principal of Johnson Senior High School in St. Paul.

“One of the things that came up when we started around this time last year … was some teachers were like, ‘I’m down to do this, but everybody’s got to do it,’” Payton said. “‘I don’t want to be the teacher that’s going hard on this policy — or not just policy, I mean these expectations — but then when a student goes to the next class, the teacher lets them have their phones out, and then when they come back to me, they’re like, ‘Well, so-and-so let me have my phone out.’”

A “Phone Cubby” waits to be installed in a classroom at Oak-Land Middle School in Lake Elmo on Wednesday, Aug. 20, 2025. (John Autey / Pioneer Press)

At St. Paul Public Schools, the use of personal electronic devices is not permitted during school hours, but high schools can develop their own plans. At Johnson Senior High School, students will need to place their phones in phone pouches near the teacher’s desk and can use their phones only during passing time and lunch.

Parents need to sign off on the policy as part of back-to-school forms and signs will be up in school buildings spelling out the new rules.

Executive Chief of Schools Andrew Collins said at a SPPS board meeting Tuesday that he thinks there’s a “high level of confidence and readiness” on the new regulations.

Student behavior, attendance

White Bear Lake Schools rolled out their cellphone policy for the 2024-25 school year, which requires that students put their phones in cellphone sleeves at the front of the classroom at the start of class.

“It’s just a constant battle because students, again, as over the summer, they’re not going to have much restricted use, and we’re going to have to deal with that when school starts again,” said Russ Reetz, White Bear Lake High School principal. “So it’s going to be another major campaign on our behalf to remind students of our expectations and help wean them off that screen time.”

It was a “really successful year,” with fewer fights and social media-related conflicts among students during the school day, Reetz said. Improved behavior also meant less resources that staff were using to respond to what was happening, he said.

“Our attendance went up, our grades,” Reetz said. “We saw students doing better in the classroom, higher GPAs. And so all of that we attribute back to the fact that we didn’t have the distraction of the phone in the students’ hands.”

Students also seemed to use their phones less even when they were allowed to have them, such as lunch or passing time for high schoolers, said Nate Beulah, White Bear Lake High School associate principal.

Without cellphones, students can’t reach their friends unless they’re in class with them, which may play a part in attendance, Beulah said.

“If you can’t reach them, you can’t teach them. And so I think the cellphone policy offers the opportunity to have more kids in class initially, and then we engage them,” Beulah said. “We kind of turn the dream machine on, light the fire, and that’s the way we keep them in the class.”

‘They know we’re serious’

Stillwater Public Schools, which started its school year this week, doesn’t allow any cellphone use during the school day, including during lunch or passing time. For Stillwater High School science teacher Stacy Bartlett, that has meant less time telling students to put their phones away.

“In banning the cellphones, we’re painting everybody with the same broad brush,” Bartlett said. “And the benefit to it is, I don’t have to ask the students to put away their cellphone. They know that we’re serious, and I know they know we’re serious because they haven’t had their phones out. But we also missed the opportunity to model and teach when is it appropriate to have that cellphone out. The other side of that coin is that if the cellphones aren’t banned, then it’s going to be taken advantage of, the fact that there is some wiggle room in there. So we’ll see how it goes. But so far, it’s been really nice to not have to be fighting that battle.”

In the different districts and schools, students sometimes test boundaries – like wearing wireless headphones in a way that obscures them from the teacher or by bringing an extra phone to school.

‘Beneficial on a number of different levels’

At Hill-Murray School, a private school in Maplewood, some students initially tried to get around the use of Yondr pouches – a pouch that locks magnetically and is unlocked at the end of the school day.

But students don’t really fight the policy anymore, said Hill-Murray School President Melissa Dan, and school officials have seen an increase in student engagement and better behavior and performance.

It’s also improved safety and security in the school because students can’t covertly take videos of others without their permission, Dan said.

It’s still too early for districts and education officials to know the full effects of cellphone policies in schools in areas, but a number of administrators say they’ve seen positive effects.

“I think the group that appreciated it the most is the student body,” Beulah said. “Once we’re able to remove some of the barriers, distractions, or however you might see that, the classroom just looks, feels and sounds different. And when you walk into a classroom, the learning is happening and you see kids helping kids and it’s really beneficial on a number of different levels, but I’ve seen the most gratitude from the student body.”

Mary Divine contributed to this report. 

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School districts across the state have adopted policies on student cellphone use after the Legislature mandated them last year.

With school about to begin for many districts — and already in session in some — districts are letting parents and students know what to expect regarding cellphones.

The Pioneer Press reached out to 10 of the largest public schools in Ramsey, Washington and Dakota counties — as well as Hill-Murray School, a private school in Maplewood — to get information on their policies and how to find out more.

A student with a cellphone after school dismisses for the day at Oak-Land Middle School in Lake Elmo on Wednesday, Aug. 20. Oak-Land is part of the Stillwater Area Public Schools District, where officials decided in March to adopt a phone-free school day policy starting this school year. (John Autey / Pioneer Press)

Ramsey County

Mounds View Public Schools

The Mounds View Public Schools board passed its cellphone policy in March following feedback from a cellphone advisory group, as well as surveys and community conversations.

Students in elementary schools cannot use cellphones at any time during school hours. Middle and high schoolers can use their cellphones during school hours that don’t include scheduled class time or other school-related activities, meaning phones can be out during passing times, recess or lunch.

Because of the range of student ages, discipline is based on individual situations.

To see more about the policy, go to mvpschools.org/about/news/cellphones.

North St. Paul-Maplewood Oakdale School District

At the high school level, cellphones are not allowed in any learning spaces, such as classrooms, flexible learning spaces or the school gymnasium. In those spaces, they should be away and silenced or turned off. However, students can have their phones out during passing time or at lunch.

At the middle school level, cellphones are put away during the entire school day, including lunch and passing time.

Students will have their phones taken away if they have them out during class time, and they will be returned at the end of class on the first offense. If used a second time, the device would need to be picked up at the end of the school day. With any further use, a parent would need to pick up the cellphone and administrators may schedule a meeting to come up with a support plan for the student.

The district sent out information on the cellphone policy last fall along with other back-to-school guidelines. The district doesn’t have any rules preventing students from wearing smartwatches, though there are some protocols for high schoolers to remove them during exams.

To see an example, go to north.isd622.org/about/cell-phone-policy.

Roseville Schools

District officials in Roseville Schools developed their cellphone plan at the start of the 2024-25 school year.

At the middle school level, students must keep any electronic devices other than their school-issued iPad in their locker during the entire school day, including during passing time and lunch. Earbuds can be used with teacher permission but only during class time. High schoolers can use their cellphones and other devices like tablets and headphones during their lunch period and passing time, but they must be silenced and put away during class time; teachers will have bins for storage.

Phones are confiscated if a student does not follow expectations and can be collected at the end of the day. If violations continue, the student’s family will be contacted.

To see more about policy, go to rahs.isd623.org/about/student-family-handbook and select “Electronics Policy” under the “General Information” section.

St. Paul Public Schools

St. Paul Public Schools’ policy states that the use of personal electronic devices will not be permitted during school hours and such devices must either remain at home or in lockers or be turned off and put away. That includes cellphones, tablets, laptops, smartwatches, gaming systems and earbuds.

As part of the approved cellphone policy, high schools can develop their own documented plans with school stakeholders for grades nine and above that must be reviewed annually.

While most SPPS high schools do allow cellphone use during passing time, some, such as Central Senior High School, Creative Arts Secondary and Gordon Parks High School, do not allow cellphones during any part of the school day.

To learn more about the policy, go to spps.org/families/students-rights-responsibilities.

White Bear Lake Schools

Students at White Bear Lake Schools follow a “bell-to-bell” cellphone policy, which was rolled out for the 2024-25 school year, with cellphone use allowed for high school students only during lunch and passing periods. During class time, high school students must have their phone silenced or turned off and they are placed in phone caddies at the front of the classroom. Parents can still email or message their student through school-provided laptops.

Students are given one warning before the phone is taken away for the remainder of the day and the next day and parents are contacted. If there are repeated issues, administrators may meet with the student and parents to come up with a solution.

District officials held sessions with incoming seniors to develop the policy and surveyed parents. A letter sent out to families ahead of the 2024-25 school year informed them of the district’s cellphone policy.

The policy isn’t expected to change going into this coming school year, but the high school will be adding “compliancy walks,” where members of the administration team check on classrooms to ensure staff and students are following the policy.

To see more about the policy, go to tinyurl.com/mt5u4tft.

Hill-Murray School

At Hill-Murray School in Maplewood, one of the largest private schools in the metro area with around 1,095 students, students keep their phones in Yondr pouches. The pouches magnetically lock and students are not allowed to open them again until the end of the school day.

The policy was implemented last school year and students have generally come to accept it, according to district officials. Having Yondr pouches has worked better for the district than previous cellphone rules and district officials say they have seen better behavior and performance among students.

To learn more about the policy, go to hill-murray.org/perspectives/new-cell-phone-policy/.

Dakota County

Burnsville-Eagan-Savage School District

The Burnsville-Eagan-Savage School District adopted a cellphone policy in June for its roughly 7,100 students.

Elementary and middle-school students, who account for nearly 70% of the district’s students, are prohibited from using personal electronic communication devices on school premises from the first bell to the final bell of the day, including lunch and recess.

High school students are prohibited from using their devices during instructional time, but they may be used during passing times and lunch periods, though it is discouraged.

High school students may wear smartwatches, but notifications must be silenced, and they are not allowed to use communication apps or features that are prohibited on other devices.

For students of all ages, personal electronic communication devices are to be kept in designated areas and silenced. And devices are not to be used to engage in bullying, cyberbullying, harassment or discrimination. Devices are also not to be used at any time in locker rooms or bathrooms.

To see more on the policy, go to tinyurl.com/3fusujhc.

Lakeville Schools

The school board of Lakeville Schools updated and approved cellphone policies in February.

For the more than 5,000 elementary students and roughly 2,800 middle-school students in the district, “cellphones and other personal electronic devices should remain silent and out of sight during the school day.”

For the nearly 4,000 high school students, cellphones and other personal electronic devices, including earpieces, are to remain silent and out of sight during classes. They may, however, be used “appropriately and respectfully before and after classes, in hallways, or outside of the school building when classes are not in session.”

Students of all ages are not permitted to use electronic devices in a disruptive manner or for the “transmission or viewing of inappropriate content, violation of others’ privacy rights, cheating, harassing or bullying behavior.”

Furthermore, “Students shall not record, photograph, or video other students or school employees on school property, on a school bus, or at a school-sponsored event without their permission, except for activities considered to be open to the public.”

For more information on the policy, go to tinyurl.com/mw3nb7mh.

Rosemount-Apple Valley-Eagan

Rosemount-Apple Valley-Eagan is the largest Dakota County school district with nearly 30,000 students enrolled.

In March, the district’s school board adopted a cellphone policy that codified existing practices.

Middle schools and elementary schools in the district, which account for 18,000 students, require cellphones to be off and out of sight for the instructional day, including passing time, recess, lunch and field trips.

For the roughly 9,000 high school students, cellphones are permitted before and after the instructional day, during passing times and at lunch, provided they are not used in a disruptive manner.

For students of any age in the district, cellphones are not to be used to cheat, bully or harass. Additionally, cellphones are never to be used in bathrooms or locker rooms. The district policy also extends to “other personal electronic devices” students may have.

To see an example of the policy, go to tinyurl.com/yc2yys9x.

Washington County

South Washington County Schools

South Washington County Schools policy, implemented last year, says that at the high school level, cellphones, smartwatches and other similar devices are not allowed to be used in classrooms or instructional spaces, including the media center, or during lockdowns or fire drills. They also cannot be used to take photos or videos without permission, as is the case for many districts in the metro area. However, students can use cellphones during passing time or lunch.

At the middle school level, students must keep their electronic devices — including cellphones, smartwatches, AirPods and other wearable devices capable of messaging or calls — in their lockers or the main office.

Parents are encouraged to contact the school office if they need to reach their student.

To learn more about the policy, go to sowashco.org/families/cell-phones.

Stillwater Public Schools

At Stillwater Public Schools, later school start time for high school students begins this year, the school year starts a week earlier, and no cellphones are allowed for students at school.

District officials decided in March to adopt a phone-free school day policy starting this school year. All schools in the district are phone- and device-free for all students pre-K to 12 from the first bell of the day until the last.

The policy, which covers phones, earbuds, smartwatches and other personal devices, applies to instructional time, lunch periods, recess, school-sponsored programs, events or activities, or any other time during the designated school day.

Students who bring devices to school are responsible for turning them in at their school office — or store them elsewhere, depending on the school — at the start of the day; they will be stored in a locked cabinet or lockbox until the end of the day.

If a student is seen using a phone, smartwatch, earbuds or other device during the school day, school officials will confiscate the device and store it in the school’s main office until a parent comes to school to pick it up. Repeat violations will lead to a required parent conference and a response plan.

Parents who need to contact students can call the main office and have a message relayed to the student; parents of secondary students can email their students on their school-issued devices. If a student needs to contact their parent during the school day, a phone will be available in the main office.

To learn more about the policy, go to stillwaterschools.org/our-district/school-board/district-policies/phone-free-policy.

Mary Divine and Talia McWright contributed to this report. 

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Authorities in Wyoming have suspended search and rescue efforts for a Minnesota hiker who’s been missing for more than three weeks.

Grant Gardner, 38, of Lakeville, was last heard from on the evening of July 29. He texted his wife to let her know he reached the top of Cloud Peak — at an elevation of more than 13,000 feet — in a rugged wilderness area in north-central Wyoming.

Gardner said the climb was more taxing than he expected, and that he was planning to head to a lower elevation for the night. He hasn’t been heard from since.

Authorities launched an extensive air and ground search for Gardner. But in an update this week, Big Horn County Sheriff Ken Blackburn said crews are now moving to a search-and-recovery operation.

The sheriff called it a “heartbreaking and difficult decision” made in consultation with Gardner’s family.

“Our teams have exhausted all resources and personnel over the last 20 days. With weather conditions and other factors updated in our search models, we have to face the reality that the most optimistic survival odds have run out,” Blackburn wrote.

While the approach is changing, authorities reiterated that the search for Gardner has not ended. Blackburn said those efforts will resume as time and evidence allow.

“Many team members feel like they have lost a battle by not finding Grant at this time, however, it was not for a lack of effort on anyone’s part,” the sheriff wrote. “We hope clues will surface that will help bring a final closure to this tragedy in due time.”

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It was getting late on campus last fall and former Gophers quarterback Max Brosmer was finishing up studying.

After spending most of the evening going over the game plan to make sure he was prepared for an upcoming matchup with No. 4 Penn State, Brosmer was winding down when he got a call from Gophers offensive coordinator Greg Harbaugh.

“I was in bed,” Brosmer said. “He hit me on FaceTime, like, ‘Yo. Get back into the facility. I noticed something on film.’”

In his preparation, Harbaugh figured out the Nittany Lions were tipping some of their blitzes, and felt the Gophers might be able to take advantage. As soon as Brosmer got to Harbaugh’s office, they spent the rest of the night adding to the already robust game plan.

Never mind that Brosmer had a lot on his plate a few days later when he walked out of the tunnel at Huntington Bank Stadium. He had complete ownership of the game plan, including more than 60 ways to change the play at the line of scrimmage, which was based solely on what he was seeing in front of him before the snap.

“It was a lot,” Brosmer said. “There was basically a check or alert every single play.”

Not once did Brosmer look overwhelmed in the heat of battle. He’s unflappable when he puts the pads on. He prides himself on being cool, calm, and collected, regardless of what’s going on around him.

“He’s a maniac when it comes to football,” Harbaugh said. “There’s nothing that Max can’t handle.”

Maybe it shouldn’t come as a surprise then that Brosmer has proved be a fast learner since signing with the Vikings as an undrafted free agent.

He turned some heads in organized team activities with how he was able to pick up the playbook, then continued to impress in training camp with his command of the offense despite not getting very many reps in practice.

That helped Brosmer put himself in position to make the team with roster cuts coming up this week. He’s gone from being a fun story to a legitimate part of the discussion for the Vikings when it comes to their backup quarterback.

Need proof? Listen to the way Vikings head coach Kevin O’Connell has talked about him.

Asked about Brosmer this spring, O’Connell offered up praise, saying, “I think Max is as smart as any young player that I’ve been around.”

Asked about Brosmer this summer, O’Connell added to his assessment, saying, “He plays with very fast eyes and very rarely does he puts the ball at harm’s way when he’s doing it.”

That’s pretty much been the scouting report on Brosmer since he was a kid growing up in Roswell, Georgia. Though he has been blessed with a lightning quick release and the arm talent to make all the throws, his superpower has always been his ability to process an immense amount of information in real time.

“It’s impossible to give him too much,” former Centennial High School head coach Michael Perry said. “He’s got a computer brain.”

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That manifested itself in practices and games as Perry taught Brosmer about different coverages, then eventually gave him permission to audible depending on the look he was getting at the line of scrimmage. That was the first taste Brosmer got of being able to manipulate the defense with his mind.

The game within the game fascinated Brosmer, and while he was lightly recruited as a teenager, as soon as he got to the next level, New Hampshire head coach Rick Santos realized he had something special.

“We switched to a little bit more of a pro style offense,” Santos said. “We wouldn’t have done that unless we knew he could handle it.”

After earning the starting job as a true freshman, Brosmer slowly but surely started to have a hand in the game plan. His routine after most practices featured him taking a shower, grabbing something to eat, then staying at the facility to watch film with members of the coaching stuff.

“We gave him some autonomy,” Santos said. “We added the mechanism of calling multiple plays in the huddle. He could make a change at the line of scrimmage depending on what the defense was doing. That was an element to the game plan that we didn’t have before him.”

That served Brosmer well when he transferred to the Gophers to finish his college career.

The jump from the FCS level to the FBS level felt less jarring for Brosmer because of the way he thought the game. That was on display as soon as he arrived in Dinkytown as Gophers head coach P.J. Fleck credited Brosmer with being the best processor he’s ever seen.

The campaign that Brosmer put together spoke for itself as he completed 66.5 percent of his passes for 2,828 yards and 18 touchdowns, while proving to be the best quarterback the program has seen in the past decade.

As he reflected on his time with the Gophers last week, Brosmer spoke highly of Harbaugh and the countless hours they spent together game planning.

“My time with the Gophers has made the transition to the Vikings a little bit easier,” Brosmer said. “It was such a pro style offense. I got used to all the checks and alerts. He’d trust me to do all that stuff.”

As much as the Gophers prepared him for the the future, however, Brosmer still briefly felt like his head was spinning shortly after signing with the Vikings an undrafted free agent. There was a position meeting early in rookie minicamp, in particular, during which Brosmer vividly remembers being astounded by the way O’Connell talked about the game.

“I felt really confident about my knowledge about ball,” Brosmer said. “It was like he was speaking a foreign language.”

It was only a matter of time before Brosmer became fluent.

The whole operation looks smooth when he’s running the show. There’s conviction in the huddle. There’s control at the line of scrimmage. There’s decisiveness about where to go with the ball after the snap.

The comfort Brosmer has is in the offense is even more impressive when considering he’s mostly been working behind starting quarterback J.J. McCarthy, backup quarterback Sam Howell, and reserve quarterback Brett Rypien.

“You come here and have to learn to learn a different way,” Brosmer said. “You’re not going to be taught everything by doing it on a daily basis. You have to learn by listening and then watching other people do it. There’s been a lot of that.”

None of it has been too much for Brosmer. It never has been. It never will be.

“That’s what they’re finding out over at the Vikings,” Harbaugh said. “You throw anything at him, and he’s going to learn it.”

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