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Before Putney students turn in for the night, some of them are also turning in their phones, tablets, laptops and other devices as part of a voluntary pilot program designed to help them get more sleep.

“We are looking to offer students the opportunity to part from their technology overnight in order to get more restorative rest,” Bryan Johansmeyer, assistant dean of students and director of residential life, said in a letter to parents over the summer. Families had the option to sign the Putney Tech Free Partnership, which was implemented at the beginning of the fall semester.

Students are welcome to sign up anytime during the semester, and Johansmeyer said between 15 and 20 students so far have agreed to leave their devices with a dorm parent before winding down for the night.

Huseby Dorm Parent Dan Folgar, who also serves as director of Putney Summer Arts, said there are two students in his building who are part of the pilot program. A male freshman student turns in his cell phone at night through a family-made decision.

“It’s preventing the mindless, endless scrolling until they pass out at 3 a.m.,” Folgar said. And a senior female student has self-selected to turn in her laptop.

“Her plan was to do it so she could not procrastinate on her homework,” he said.

A Voluntary and Flexible Partnership

According to Johansmeyer, the beauty of the partnership is that it’s both voluntary and flexible. If a student needs their laptop one night to finish an assignment, that’s perfectly acceptable. Families can also pick and choose which nights they would like to be tech-free, as well as which devices students should turn in during the late check-in. Once given to the on-duty dorm parent, they are locked in a secure area and checked back out in the morning.

“If a student’s like, ‘I’m not turning it in tonight,’ we as the dorm parents are not going to put up a fight,” Johansmeyer said. “We really want the families and the students to take ownership of it rather than us having to mandate anything on our side.” Faculty and administrators may reach out to the student’s family to notify them of the decision, and go from there.

Folgar says the program has been running smoothly. There have been a few nights where a student has not turned in their device, and in those cases he works with them to figure out why, and helps them make adjustments for the future.

“I don’t want to force them to give up their tech,” Folgar said. “It’s something they signed up for and that they need to actively participate in it, and not have it be a punishment. They have to make the choice.”

Considering Technology, in A Putney Way

The timing of the program coincides with an uptick in varying levels of phone and technology bans in educational settings across the nation, based on research asserting the use of devices in schools undermines attention, learning, relationships and belonging.

“This is important, but what happens when classes are not in session is just as essential to the success of our community and the individuals within it,” the letter to parents said. “We believe that deciding as a community to take better care of ourselves and look at what is preventing our community from connecting deeply and getting enough sleep is a more Putney way of promoting wellbeing.”

At Putney, technology is often leveraged throughout the day as a classroom tool, and the use of personal devices during that time has not had any negative academic effects. Instead, faculty and administrators have “zoomed out” to identify where technology is really causing an issue, and worked to address the root of the cause.

“Here at Putney, we are finding that one of the largest impacts screens and devices have on our students is limiting the amount of good, restorative sleep they get,” the letter to parents said. “Rest is crucial to engagement and well-being. We hope to partner with both students and their families to remove the devices from dorm rooms that distract students from getting needed sleep.”

Johansmeyer elaborated.

“A part of what we see is just tired kids that are not getting enough restorative rest at night,” he said. “And then when you walk it back, you quickly see the ones that are the most tired and worn out are the ones who are up late on their devices at night … for some students, it’s hard to manage that draw of their technology.”

Johansmeyer said the intention of the Putney Tech Free Partnership is to provide a space for students to build better habits around technology, and that means working together as a community to come up with effective methods.

“While bans can work, partnering and committing to a healthy process creates better outcomes and just feels better overall,” the letter to parents said. “We are looking to partner with not only our students but their families to make our community better, become better students, and enjoy everything that Putney has to offer.”

Parent Mandy Casamassima said she says she’s on the strict side when it comes to limiting her kids’ access to technology, and this policy is a welcome extension of rules that are already in place at home.

Her son participates in the program by turning in his computer at night. She would prefer he also turn in his phone, but they came to a compromise where he can keep it for the benefits of listening to music to go to sleep at night, and having an alarm in the morning.

“So we’re now only partially using the policy, which is less my choice and more kind of a give and take,” Casamassima said.

Her son also feels like he’s in the minority as far as the number of students participating, and she believes if more students sign up, it will become easier to implement.

“I do think if there were more families in the program, it might’ve allowed us to stick with it fully,” she said.

At the end of the semester, Putney will start collecting feedback about the pilot program to determine what was successful and what needs improvement for the future.

“My hope is that students come to the realization themselves that this is a healthier way,” Johansmeyer said, “And it’s not changing a huge piece of their lifestyle to turn their stuff in at night, and go to sleep.”