The year after COVID, students found comfort in their phones, and they became reliant on them.

Due to this, schools are now cracking down on the issue and scenarios arise in which phones are taken away when they become distractions inside of the classroom  Once a student gets three warnings, their phone gets taken away, but here is the problem: Many students become addicted to their phones and feel empty without them, which becomes a greater distraction as their main focus will now be their phone and not class work.   

Teens today live in an uncertain time and phones have been able to help them overcome these problems. In addition, they also have a close connection to their phones, and depriving teens of their phones could lead to more complex issues which may include their mental health. Phones could also deprive students of their ability to communicate. For example, an emergency for a family member or themselves that the teacher could probably have no idea or time to react to.             

Not only are phones a necessity for high school students for communication and emergencies, but you actually need your phone in class. At Enochs High School, the school administration rolled out the “5-star” app. Students are expected to gain points to exchange for school merchandise, and even use the app as a digital hall/bathroom pass.  In a growing technological and advancing world, our school moves with the times and involves phones and computers in our everyday education and lives while simultaneously increasing surveillance and introducing new strict policies on cell phones. The real question of the matter is whether or not the new cell phone policy at Enochs will bring the positive results the administration is expecting.

With many complaints and problems coming from the school phone policy, there are a number of solutions or alternatives. As of now the first time you get caught with a phone during class you’re given a warning. We believe a simple warning for the first time breaking the phone policy is a perpetually good way to effectively warn students. We also believe that when a student gets caught with their phone out a second time, they should have to face repercussions by having to put their phones in their backpack. It is important to consider what should happen when a student gets caught with their phone out. The third time a student gets caught with their cell phones they should get it confiscated for a day. At the end of the day, there are a continuous number of ways the phone policy can change.