Month: September 2025

Responding to Increasing Political Violence: Addressing Partisan Hate in Schools

Posted on by Scot Wilson

The murder of conservative political activist Charlie Kirk on September 10 was another act of political violence at a time when political violence seems to be on the rise in the United States.1 A poll released in July 2025 found that three-quarters of Americans view political violence as a serious threat, with the number reaching almost 90% among Democratic voters and almost 60% among Republican voters.2 And, according to polling from YouGov, “Most Americans across the political spectrum say political violence is never justified, but younger and more liberal Americans are more likely to disagree.”3

In addition to the assassination of Kirk, a series of other high-profile acts of political violence have stirred the public consciousness about this issue. There were two assassination attempts against now-President Donald Trump in 2024, including one at a rally in Butler, Pennsylvania, in which a bullet struck Trump’s ear and one audience member was killed. Earlier this year, Melissa Hortman, a state Democratic lawmaker in Minnesota, was killed along with her husband, and another Democratic official, John Hoffman, was attacked along with his wife. In April, a California man pleaded guilty to attempting to assassinate Supreme Court Justice Brett Kavanaugh at his home in Maryland. The same month, Pennsylvania Gov. Josh Shapiro (D) and his family had their home set ablaze by an arsonist. On January 6, 2021, a violent mob stormed the Capitol and threatened to attack members of Congress and to hang then-Vice President Mike Pence in order to stop the certification of the 2020 election results.4 In addition to these high-profile cases, Reuters has identified at least 300 acts of politically motivated violence since 20215 and argues that the United States is experiencing the most political violence since the 1960s and 1970s.6

The story of how we got here is too long, too complicated, and—at the moment—too hard to state clearly for this post to explore. But we know that a mixture of partisan media, vitriolic political campaigns, and algorithms on social media that stoke our anger and fear all play leading roles. And, just as there is no one path that led us here, it is unlikely that there is a single path that will lead us from this low point in U.S. political culture. But schools can and must play a role in shaping a future in which basic tenets of free speech, free thought, and democracy are valued and protected.

Rachel Kleinfeld, a senior fellow at the Carnegie Endowment for International Peace, says, “Most partisans hold major misbeliefs about the other party’s preferences that lead them to think there is far less shared policy belief. This perception gap is highest among progressive activists, followed closely by extreme conservatives: in other words, the people who are most involved in civic and political life hold the least accurate views of the other side’s beliefs.”7

This is so, at least in part, because people tend not to talk about political and social issues outside of their immediate networks or their online bubbles, leaving significant room for mischaracterization and misunderstanding. Schools can help students and families confront this challenge in many ways. A few ideas that teachers and school leaders should consider include:

  • Holding regular dialogues and deliberations about challenging political and social issues. By engaging in deliberation, students have shown an increased mutual respect across ideological lines, with 89% of participants at 2024’s America in One Room: The Youth Vote agreeing with the following statement after deliberation: “I learned a lot about people very different from me—about what they and their lives are like.”8
  • Hosting panels or speaker series on contemporary issues to expose students to different perspectives on those issues.
  • Embedding media literacy and, especially, social media literacy in as many courses and areas of curriculum as possible.
  • Embedding democratic practices such as participatory budgeting and meaningful student government in the school culture and calendar.
  • Finding opportunities for students in different schools and different parts of the political spectrum to interact routinely, in person or virtually.
  • Including requirements for exploring an ideologically diverse range of sources in any inquiry projects in humanities classes.

This is, of course, only a partial list. And all of us in education recognize that most of these steps do not come without costs. There may be public pushback for speakers and panels or holding dialogues about certain topics, there are always budgetary constraints when it comes to participatory budgeting and student government, and curricular time is precious. However, we all must do what we can to confront political violence from whatever position in the world we hold. And educators hold a position that could allow for the shaping of a new, better political culture.

As always, we encourage you to join the discussion with your comments or questions below.

 

Sources

Featured Image: REUTERS/Jim Urquhart
[1] Brookings Institution: https://www.brookings.edu/articles/political-violence-in-the-us/ 
[2] National Public Radio: https://www.npr.org/2025/07/01/nx-s1-5452527/poll-democracy-trump-immigration 
[3] YouGov: https://today.yougov.com/politics/articles/52960-charlie-kirk-americans-political-violence-poll 
[4] PBS News: https://www.pbs.org/newshour/politics/how-recent-political-violence-in-the-u-s-fits-into-a-long-dark-history 
[5] Reuters: https://www.reuters.com/world/us/new-cases-political-violence-roil-us-ahead-contentious-election-2024-10-21/ 
[6] Reuters: https://www.reuters.com/investigates/special-report/usa-politics-violence/ 
[7] Carnegie Endowment for International Peace: https://carnegieendowment.org/research/2023/09/polarization-democracy-and-political-violence-in-the-united-states-what-the-research-says?lang=en 
[8] Close Up Foundation and Stanford University Deliberative Democracy Lab: https://www.closeup.org/a1r-deliberation-results/ 

 

The Rise and Impact of Phone Bans in U.S. Public Schools

Posted on by Scot Wilson

In recent years, cell phones have moved from novelty to necessity in daily life, but in U.S. public schools, they’ve also become a battleground. Facing growing concerns about distraction, mental health, and safety, state legislatures and school boards across the country are implementing bans on student phone use during the school day. Supporters say the restrictions restore focus in the classroom and encourage healthier habits; critics worry the rules go too far, limiting freedom and complicating emergency communication.

The Current Landscape

As of 2025, at least 35 states have enacted some form of restriction on student cell phone use, with many others considering new legislation.1  Recent state-level actions include:

  • Virginia Executive Order 33: In July 2024, Virginia Gov. Glenn Youngkin (R) enforced a statewide “bell-to-bell” ban, requiring students to keep cell phones off for the entire school day. The executive order went into effect in January 2025.2
  • Massachusetts S.2561: In July 2025, the Massachusetts Senate passed a bill mandating all school districts prohibit student cell phone use throughout the day. The bill has not yet advanced in the Massachusetts House, so the policy is not currently in effect. If it is enacted, it is set to begin in fall 2026.3
  • Missouri SB 68: In July 2025, Missouri Gov. Mike Kehoe (R) signed into law a statewide ban on cell phones in K-12 schools, requiring students to keep devices off during the entire school day. The law went into effect with the start of the 2025–26 academic year.4

Alongside legislation, many districts have turned to practical tools like Yondr pouches, forcibly locking phones away until dismissal.

Support and Criticism

Research on cell phone bans shows mixed—but as supporters note, promising—results. Some studies link reduced phone use to better academic performance and improved mental health among students.5  Teachers often report fewer disruptions and incidents of cyberbullying when phones are removed from the classroom, and parents in advocacy groups see restrictions as a way to build healthier digital boundaries for teens. In some cases, schools also report stronger peer-to-peer interaction, as students spend more time engaging face-to-face.6 Supporters of cell phone bans argue that these benefits are worth the trade-off: according to a Pew Research Center survey, 68% of U.S. adults back bans during class, with 91% citing fewer distractions and 70% pointing to the development of better social skills as major reasons.7

As Emily Boddy of Smartphone Free Childhood notes, “If kids know that there are other kids who have access to their phones … there’s always a part of their attention that’s like, ‘What am I missing on Snapchat?”8 For advocates, bell-to-bell bans offer relief from that constant anxiety.

Critics, however, argue that these school cell phone policies are blunt instruments. Parents raise concerns about safety and the need for immediate communication in emergencies, a sentiment reflected in Pew Research Center’s finding that six in ten opponents say this is their major reason for resisting bans.9 Others emphasize how difficult the rules can be to enforce, with districts facing long lines, stolen pouches, or creative student workarounds.

Annette Campbell Anderson of Johns Hopkins University emphasizes that the original purpose of student cell phones has been misunderstood in these debates. “Most parents gave their kids cell phones so they could have immediate access to communicate,” she explains, noting that in an era of school shootings, phones have become essential for safety as well as for managing the hectic schedules of modern families. “It had nothing to do with giving kids access to video games and platforms like Instagram and Snapchat. That was an unintentional consequence.”10 From this perspective, critics argue that school restrictions may overlook these core reasons parents provided phones in the first place, and that bans risk treating a complex social issue as a matter solely for schools to solve.

In the Classroom

The questions raised by cell phone bans in schools offer educators an opportunity to turn policy into civic inquiry. Students can weigh in on questions of authority, personal rights, and collective responsibility:

  • Should schools have the power to regulate personal devices? Should state government?
  • Do cell phone bans protect mental health and improve learning? Or do they infringe on student freedoms?
  • Are partial restrictions, such as allowing phones at lunch but not during class, ineffective or a more balanced compromise?
  • How do U.S. bans compare with international approaches, such as those in France or the United Kingdom? Unlike the patchwork of state- and district-level rules in the United States, France has enforced a nationwide ban in middle schools since 2018. The United Kingdom has adopted government-backed guidance leading nearly all schools to restrict phones throughout the school day.

For guidance on structuring classroom debates tailored to younger students, see our cell phones in schools Middle School discussion, and for strategies appropriate to older students, check out our cell phone policies in schools High School discussion.

As always, we encourage you to join the discussion with your comments or questions below.

Close Up is proud to be the nation’s leading nonprofit civic education organization, working with schools and districts across the country since 1971. If you would like to partner with us or learn more about our experiential learning programs, professional development, or curriculum design and consulting, contact us today! 

 

Sources

Featured Image: Dobrila Vignjevic/via Getty Images
[1] Associated Press: https://apnews.com/article/schools-cellphone-bans-social-media-parents-d6464fbfdfae83189c752fe0c40fd060
[2] Office of The Governor of Virginia: https://www.governor.virginia.gov/newsroom/news-releases/2025/may/name-1046981-en.html
[3] Commonwealth of Massachusetts: https://malegislature.gov/PressRoom/Detail?pressReleaseId=238
[4] St. Louis University: https://www.primecenter.org/prime-blog/sb68
[5] Kaiser Family Foundation: https://www.kff.org/mental-health/a-look-at-state-efforts-to-ban-cellphones-in-schools-and-implications-for-youth-mental-health/
[6] NPR: https://www.npr.org/2025/09/01/nx-s1-5495531/more-states-now-ban-cell-phones-in-schools
[7] Pew Research Center: https://www.pewresearch.org/short-reads/2024/10/14/most-americans-back-cellphone-bans-during-class-but-fewer-support-all-day-restrictions/#why-americans-support-cellphone-bans-during-class
[8] Education Week: https://www.edweek.org/technology/to-ban-or-not-to-ban-two-experts-sound-off-on-school-cellphone-restrictions/2025/06
[9] Pew Research Center: https://www.pewresearch.org/short-reads/2025/07/16/americans-support-for-school-cellphone-bans-has-ticked-up-since-last-year/
[10] Johns Hopkins University: https://hub.jhu.edu/2024/09/23/school-cell-phone-bans-qa/