Many changes have been made for the 2023-2024 school year at Enochs High School. Some are more exciting than others. One of the most notable being the new cell phone policy that has been implemented to crack down on phone usage during school hours. Students are now given three strikes if caught using their phones. First, they are given a warning. If behavior continues then the phone is confiscated, sent to the front office, and students can pick up their device at the end of the day. Once they are caught for a third time, the previous process follows but now parents are responsible for retrieving their child’s phone, and a restorative conference is held. The school can maintain possession of a student’s phone for however long it might take their parents to retrieve it. Even if that takes multiple days.
Some students are strongly against this new policy, some believe it’ll bring about a positive change, and some simply aren’t affected enough by it to care. Here at the Eagle Eye, we are split into two sides. 16 out of our 28 members, roughly 57%, are against the policy and believe that it should be changed. When asked about their personal opinions on the policy, these were some of their responses. Joseph Diaz stated, “I think that the disadvantage is because it’s infringing our personal stuff… I understand taking it for a day and pick it up but having my parent come. It’s too much . It’s better to just take the phone and have them sit on the desk.. idk… it’s just my opinion.” This was a recurring concern with many of the members of the Eagle Eye. Many of them believe that the policy shouldn’t involve their parents and that it isn’t fair for them, especially when many of them don’t have the time due to work. When asked if they felt their rights were being violated due to the school having the ability to hold onto phones for multiple days, Jameson Webb had this to say. “Absolutely, I think in our day and age cell phones are just as important as a car or something you know what I’m saying or more importantly it connects us to the whole world.” The biggest issue is stemming from the third strike.
The other 12 members say that they aren’t drastically affected by the new policy and don’t really care. But, their issue, just like the other members, is that the policy involves busy parents. When asked if they have talked about the policy with their parents and if their parents have any opinions on having to pick up their child’s phone, this is what Aubrie Rivas had to say. “No, I haven’t because it’s not really an issue for them and it doesn’t affect me as much but the 5 star app is confusing, it’s an inconvenience for my parents cause they come home late from work, and if they take my phone they can’t pick it up.“ Kylie Ngo also responded with this to say, “No, because I don’t have complications with anyone because if they ask me to put my phone away I put it away. I never got in trouble by my phone. They wouldn’t want to pick it up because it’s my responsibility to follow the rules and it takes time out there day because they’re busy.” So, even though these members don’t really care about the new policy, they still raise the same concerns as the members that are against the policy.
The Eagle Eye is split on this situation. But, everyone agrees that the big underlying issue is that the school has now involved parents in the policy without taking into consideration how busy they are. The school now holds too much power, especially over the families that aren’t as fortunate to have considerable leisure time during the week.
