If you’re a student at GEHS, you’ve probably heard mentions from teachers or your peers about a supposed new phone policy set to be put in place shortly. There have been several rumors floating around about possible lockable baggies to keep phones in and to the extreme of phone confiscation at the beginning of the school day.
Frank Bell, GEHS’s principal, has made a statement on what ideas are in the works for this policy and what students can expect.
“We’ve been looking for a solution; a compromise almost. So students won’t be on their phones during class, but can also retain some of those freedoms. Like think passing periods, lunch, seminar,” said Bell, “Snapchat, Instagram, TikTik, Messages. Those are all going to take a second seat to your education.”
Bell explains how his Principal Advisory Council (PAC) and his team of teachers and parents are currently brainstorming solutions to fix GEHS’s current phone issue.
“We’re working on a workable plan and I hope to pilot it and work out the bugs. We’ll put the plan in place fourth quarter and I think it’ll chart a better course for us as a school,” said Bell.
Bell says he wants to make a plan that will hopefully please not only the students and teachers but the parents as well. He explains how important GEHS students’ education is to him and how he believes a phone policy will strengthen learning in the classroom and also lessen disagreements during school hours that can occasionally turn physical.
Bell also explains how certain exceptions are being thought through when creating this policy (i.e. teachers who utilize phone usage in class, students with 504 plans, etc.).
“We’re gonna have one-off scenarios and of course, we’re gonna have to think those through. However, we do supply a computer. We’re a one-to-one school, each student has a corresponding computer,” said Bell.
