According to one survey of educators, “95% of students bring their phones to class every day, 92% use them to text in class, and 10% admitted to having texted during an exam.” In an era dominated by technology, the integration of cell phones and their use in class has sparked debate among teachers, administrators, parents, and students. While cell phones offer an array of resources, they can also be a source of distraction to students, and their educators.
With the new school year coming around, Enochs now has an updated cell phone policy outlined below:
First Offense: Warning by Teacher
- If you are caught on your phone during class time, your teacher will issue a warning.
Second Offense: Phone Confiscated/ Student Pick-up at End of Day/Parent Contact
- If caught again with Teacher Warning then your phone will be confiscated and students will have to come at the end of the school day to pick it up, then your parents will be notified.
3rd Offense: Restorative Conference/Parent Pick Up
- After all of these warnings, students who then violate the policy are going to need to have a meeting with the school administration. Parents will have to pick up the phone after the meeting concludes.
The biggest assumption of the rule is that Enochs changed the policy because of the district, but that is not true in the slightest. Our team had the honor of speaking with two of Enochs Assistant Principals – Sonia Gomez, and Melissa Estacio. According to Estacio, “There is not a universal district policy, they are kinda letting sites do what works for them.” The administrators are trying to figure out what is working for the school and their students, and if it works they will keep it.
Additionally, the team from The Eagle Eye got to ask what our Assistant Principal’s reasoning was for the adjustments made to the policy. Estacio and Gomez both agreed that “cell phones were making up a big part of the referrals that they were seeing”. The majority of students are either on their phones in class or have their AirPods listening to music, which makes them a huge distraction in class. According to Estacio, “Students are not only distracting themselves but are also texting other students in the class to get out of class at the same time.”
While not every student is aware, Enochs now has a new equivalent for Golden Tickets and Hall passes. The school is now using an app called 5-star, which students can earn points for buying merchandise, and it also includes hall passes to go to the bathroom or anywhere else on campus. “The timer on the bathroom pass is ultimately helpful for campos. The timer is helpful in helping students be a little more responsible” mentioned by Estacio and Gomez. The timer on the 5-star app for using the restroom is 7 minutes which gives every student enough time to go and come back. “Students with anxiety or other issues might use the pass as an escape to get out of class which is fine, but when the timer runs out, it allows for some campus supervision to go find them and help them.” It isn’t uncommon for high school students to have anxiety or even struggle with mental health, but if they use the app to get out of class they might be endangering themselves when they are alone. The timer will help our campus administrators and or supervisors to help all students and make sure that everyone stays safe on campus at all times.
In an era dominated by technology, the debate surrounding the use of phones in class strikes a need for technological balance in the classroom. While phones offer a wide range of resources helpful to students and their studies, they are also a source of distraction. When students look around at Enochs High School what exactly do they see? Do you see a student on their phone? Or maybe you’re the one on your phone. While this may not well-received by students, it is ultimately true.
