Greenwich High School's "Away All Day" cell phone ban has calmed the school and boosted student engagement three weeks in, Superintendent Toni Jones told the Board of Education on Thursday, Sept. 24.

Jones and student body president Ben Varghese both offered positive early assessments at the meeting, held at Cos Cob School, as Greenwich Free Press first reported.

"I am absolutely thrilled with what I see at the high school," Jones said. "It's calmer. Students are playing games with one another. At student government, they were just talking with one another."

Jones said students used to walk the halls with phones in hand. Now, she described a school where face-to-face interaction has replaced screen time.

Varghese told the board that initial student reaction was negative, but many now notice improvements in the student center, during lunch and while moving between classes.

"Cell phones being prohibited has undoubtedly made students more engaged and aware throughout the day, which we can all appreciate," Varghese said.

One sticking point remains.

The student executive committee raised concerns about the ban on wireless headphones, which students use to listen to music during passing time. Varghese said administration is working on those concerns.

Jones pointed to a concrete early example of the policy's effect. A medical incident occurred in the student center early in the school year, and not a single student recorded video. In the past, she said, TikToks and other recordings would have appeared.

The board approved the policy in a 5-3 vote in June. Board members Michael-Joseph Mercanti-Anthony, Veronica Chiavaroli, Bob Chaney, Sophie Koven and Karen Krause voted in favor. Wendy Vizzo Walsh, Karen Hirsh and Paul Cappiali voted against it. A faculty survey conducted before the vote showed 61% of Greenwich Public Schools (GPS) teachers supported bell-to-bell phone restrictions.

The district plans to collect formal survey data from students toward the end of the school year.