As students return for the 2026–2027 school year, students may have noticed the effects of PHS’s implementation of new technology rules and changes, including a transition to Gmail, new site blockages, and the return of Visigo Agent and GoGuardian.

Earlier this year, former NJ Governor Phil Murphy signed into law S3695, which called for the creation of a bell-to-bell phone ban in New Jersey public schools, leaving it up to each district on how exactly they would enforce it.

In addition to banning phones from 8:20 a.m. to 3:21 p.m., one of the options that PHS has chosen is Doorman, an app that restricts device usage by placing a lockdown on apps, such as social media or text messaging, during school hours.

“It was the high school making the decision to use Doorman. From a tech perspective, we thought it was a promising solution. [However, we] had to restrict the network from student personal devices in general,” said PPS Chief Technology Officer Todd MacDonald.

Doorman has encountered some pushback from students, however. Many students have not downloaded the app, stemming from a myriad of reasons.

“I don’t feel like I need to use my phone during a school day. But I also have some privacy concerns. I don’t like the idea of an app having full control over my phone,” said John Patrick-Aguilar ’29.

The transition toward these new applications is also an attempt to streamline management of data in the school and will save money for the school in the long-term.

“We’re trying to unify the system around a single platform. And Google is a much more modern platform,” said MacDonald. “The management tools are a lot simpler.”

Due to the state cell phone ban, sites which are considered social media, such as Twitter, Reddit, or Pinterest, have been blocked in order to accommodate the law. In addition, to follow district protocol that AI may not be used on an assignment unless teacher-directed, AI platforms which were previously available have now also been blocked for students.

To facilitate this change, GoGuardian is replacing Mosyle Manager. GoGuardian works by blocking site categories and offering teachers the ability to monitor student screens live. Parents are also able to access student browsing activity. Some students report more websites being blocked in comparison to last year.

“The only real effect of GoGuardian was not being able to find a PDF of a book I wanted to read, or a SparkNotes of it, but that’s it. [There isn’t really a] difference between Mosyle Manager and GoGuardian in my opinion,” said Joshua Dong ’29.

Additionally, the school district has applied changes focused on the shift away from technology. As outlined in a letter from PPS Superintendent Michael LaSusa, policies such as a quarterly “unplugged” day and a “lids closed” laptop policy in school have also been implemented this year.

At this time, it is unknown whether or not GoGuardian and Doorman will continue in their current form, but these changes will likely remain a part of PHS life.

Photo: Katherine Chen

John Bathke reprimands Marina Zappa do Valle Tuler ’27 for phone usage.

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