Phones Banned or Staying?
Diisttriictts allll around have been crackiing down on phones
“There are few occasions in which cell phones contribute to the educational process. It is easier to make a class video with a phone, record an interview or take a picture. Laptops are nice but phones are more convenient for these purposes,” West said. There’ve been many ways these phone bans are enforced with some school districts outright preventing students from using their phone in class such as putting phones inside of magnetic pouches or lockers that can’t be opened unless it’s the end of the day. These have pros and cons as some students use their phone to listen to music while doing work to focus better. Alongside this, some students use their phones to contact their parents during the school day, for appointments, notifying of early dismissal or in the case of an emergency a parent or guardian might want to know. “In my experience, no matter how responsible students say they’ll be, phones tend to be used as a distraction instead of for learning. Even at lunch, they are often used to take pictures, make videos or cause conflicts. Because of that, Shawnee Heights Middle School (SHMS) had a strong no personal device policy long before it became common in other schools,” Tim Urich, Middle School Principal, said. Weighing the pros and cons of a phone ban, it comes together to show that a phone ban would be a lot more beneficial and effective on the student body. This is because it would make it easier to study, pay attention and focus on the teacher rather than using that time to learn on a device.
School districts have been cracking down on personal device usage in the classroom across the United States. “With districts around us banning phones, I think they’re talking about it and seeing how it’s working for other schools,” Jaime Moses, counselor, said. Topeka High School and Seaman High School have implemented phone bans in classrooms with a no tolerance policy. This policy states that phones are to be kept off and out of sight during class with consequences such as confiscation or detention. This is done to improve grades and focus. “We [admin] currently ask teachers to prohibit cell phone usage in the classroom other than when being used for educational purposes. Cell phones should be off the desk and out of sight, preferably in a closed backpack,” Ed West, principal, said. Currently, there is no indication that the USD 450 Board of Education is looking at putting a phone ban policy in place. The device usage in classrooms vary from teacher to teacher with each having different expectations. An example of a teacher’s policy on phones is when they are okay with device usage as long as the student is finished with classwork and the teacher isn’t in a lecture. There are times in the classroom where phones are allowed, such as for certain assignments where a site is blocked on the MacBook. Additionally, some teachers allow students to use their phones during certain class activities such as Blooket or Kahoot.
Browsing through TikTok, Adam Odom, senior, sits on his phone before his 7th hour class starts. Photo by Kayden Taylor
During passing period, Michael Brooks, business teacher, checks his email on his phone before the bell rings. Photo by Kayden Taylor
12 | Phone Ban
Written and designed by Kayden Taylor
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