Thirteen states have implemented new phone policies for the upcoming school year. The Poudre School District is just one district in Colorado that has implemented a new version of their policy. At PSD schools, students are required “to store cell phones, headphones, and all other electronic accessories out of sight and on silent at school unless they have permission from an administrator/designee or it’s written into their IEP, 504, or HCAP.” Individual teacher policies may vary from this depending on the class.
“As a teacher, I love it. It’s a big battle with individual students with phones when they really kinda go back to it. And I like that it’s a policy thing, so it’s not like me being a jerk as an individual, but it’s all of us being on the same page–on a uniformed front,” Mr. Grant said when asked how he feels about the new phone policy.
This new policy allows teachers not to worry about students being on their phone. Teachers can have a more interactive class while being distraction free. Students have the opportunity to learn more while also being able to talk to other students and not staring at their screen. According to Pew Research, about 72% of high school teachers nationwide say that students being distracted by cell phones is a major problem in their classroom.
When junior Viv Parks was asked how she felt about the policy she said, “I hate it. I got my phone put in phone jail like two days ago. It was not hype at all.”
Some students don’t like it because a phone is their personal property and it can make them uncomfortable that they aren’t in possession of their property. It is possible that students might worry more about if they are getting texts or phone calls they are missing. Parents are now encouraged to call the office with any important messages for their students.
“I think it helps kids learn,” sophomore Issac Freeman said.
Other students like the new policy. They see that the policy could do good things to promote learning and benefit students.
Research shows that they just might be right. “Ninety percent of teens have used social media” according to American Academy of Child and Adolescent psychiatry. “Social media has been tied to anxiety, depression, and many more disorders. These policies not only help students learn but also help get rid of those problems. It also gets rid of the negative impact on test scores and the effect on long term learning retention.”
Some classes require students to do work on their phone and the policy is left to teacher discretion in those cases. The teachers need to be clear about when students can use their phone and when they can’t.
The policy also helps get rid of people hanging out in the hallways during class–they can’t coordinate with their friends to meet up during class and cause disruptions to other classes.
The Poudre School District has implemented this new policy even though Colorado is not one of the states that has passed a law regarding phones in schools. Many more schools are leaning towards putting policies in place. The PSD policy is less restrictive than many others that require locking up phones upon entering school and unlocking at the end of the day.
There are mixed opinions on the new phone policy. There is no telling if this policy will stay for the years following or if it will even be followed this year. Some people love the policy–mostly teachers and staff. And some people hate it, which is often the case with new policies.
