The Commons

Rethinking How Schools Manage Student Phones

After years of working with thousands of schools to implement phone-free environments, Shannon Godfrey and Julia Gustafson began hearing a consistent message from school leaders, teachers, parents, and students: locking phones away was creating problems of its own. Teachers were spending instructional time enforcing policies, schools were dealing with daily conflict, and some principals questioned whether removing phones actually taught students how to manage technology responsibly.

That experience led Shannon and Julia to rethink the approach. They founded The Commons, a privacy-first software platform that helps schools reduce phone distractions without taking devices away. The platform automatically limits access to distracting apps when students arrive on campus, reducing the need for teachers to enforce phone policies while allowing students to keep their devices.

The Commons is designed around the idea that reducing distraction should not mean removing student agency. Alongside automated restrictions, the platform provides clear guardrails and digital citizenship tools intended to help students develop healthier technology habits, stay focused, and remain engaged with the people and activities around them.

The venture’s approach is also informed by the founders’ experience working with schools and their focus on behavioral change. Rather than relying on students or teachers to make the right choice repeatedly throughout the day, The Commons changes the environment so that distractions are limited automatically while access to emergency communication and academic tools remains available.

The early results include 98% of teachers in their schools reporting greater confidence enforcing their phone policies. The Commons is also moving forward with a formal impact trial for the 2026–27 school year, examining outcomes including student engagement, teacher efficacy, learning environments, and mental health and behavior indicators.