Prep talk: School cellphone bans are forcing students to talk again

Richard Mercado, baseball coach at Mater Dei High, does lunch supervision and believes the school’s cellphone ban has led to a remarkable change at the lunch tables.

“It’s way different,” he said. “Last year everybody played a game on their phone. Now you’re forced to talk.”

No more making excuses to look at your phone and ignore others.

Athletes are talking to athletes as well as having conversations with non-athletes.

“The kids don’t know it’s good for them,” Mercado said.

Other schools and districts have joined the trend of removing cellphones during the school day.

This is a daily look at the positive happenings in high school sports. To submit any news, please email eric.sondheimer@latimes.com.