Should Portland students have access to their cell phones in the classroom? A policy answer to the contentious question is far from imminent—but a recent Portland Public Schools Board of Education meeting suggests that the city may soon get its first district-wide mandate on what role personal devices should play in local schools.

Far from the note passing of yore, cell phone use has become a serious issue in classrooms nationwide. Students receive more than 200 notifications on their devices a day, a quarter of which come in during the school day, according to a recent report by Common Sense Media. Cell phones can facilitate cyberbullying and academic misconduct. Some studies show that restricting their use boosts test scores. “I taught during that era when cell phones became more and more popular among kids and have definitely noticed the impact,” says school board director and former teacher Eddie Wang. (Though students certainly can’t shoulder the blame: the Oregon Department of Education actually encouraged cell phone use in classrooms in 2013.)

Portland currently leaves the question of whether to allow phones in class to individual schools and teachers to decide. With their school and instructors' permission, students can text, make phone calls, or listen to music in class, according to Portland Public Schools policy. That’s not uncommon: Seattle Public Schools also forgoes a district-wide policy in favor of school autonomy (though Washington state may soon require districts to take action to restrict cell phone use). 

Deciding on a cell phone policy feels a bit damned if you do, damned if you don’t. Some parents oppose restricting access because they want to be able to reach their children in case of an emergency. Others favor a strict cell phone policy for academic reasons: while devices can be helpful for researching definitions or responding to in-class quizzes, distracting group chats seem like far likelier use cases. Students are similarly split. “Even just speaking with my friends, there are a lot of varying opinions,” says Frankie Silverstein, who serves on the District Student Council.

But the status quo leaves teachers in the lurch, Wang says. When one teacher asks students to put cell phones in a pouch at the start of class, another allows cell phones under certain circumstances, and yet another lets students do as they please, it becomes difficult for pupils to remember the rules, let alone comply with them. “It was just a fight every day, and that is a big mental drain,” Wang says.

Next steps for the district include gathering opinions with the help of the District Student Council, consulting studies on the impacts of student cell phone use, and eventually determining whether to keep or revamp its current laissez-faire approach. Last on the docket? Getting grown-ups to put the phones down, too.