It is official. There will be a new phone policy implemented next year. And while I believe a phone can be set in place and work, I think there are some holes in the new policy that have been overlooked.
An article written by KCTV5 listed the consequences and the regulations of the policy. According to the article students will only be able to be on their phones during passing periods and lunch. Students will also have to turn in their devices before class starts.
I understand students not being able to use their phone during class time. That change doesn’t upset me, but having to turn in my phone before class does. I don’t want it to seem like I am so attached to my phone that I can be apart from it for an hour, but I don’t think putting all the phones in one place everyday will be beneficial. Not only will it take time to turn them in and grab them before leaving, but there are students who might need them for medical reasons. I also think that if there was an emergency like a fire or a lockdown, I would want my phone to contact my parents if I need to.
If there are consequences in place for using your phone during class time then why can’t they be kept in our backpacks? I believe that instead of turning our phones in before every class we should just be expected to keep our phones away in our bags during instructional period. There are teachers at GEHS that make students keep their phone in their bags during class and from experience, I know it works. And if a student were to break that rule and use their phone wouldn’t then be when they receive a consequence for their actions?
I also think there are some issues with the consequences. The first offense is a warning and the student’s parents are notified, but the more offenses a student partakes in, the stricter the consequences are.
If a student has their third offense, administration is notified and they receive a two day in school suspension. According to GEHS’s Student Handbook this consequence is the same as a student being physically aggressive toward one of their peers or leaving school without permission. If a student were to reach their fourth or fifth offense they get two or three days out of school suspension which would be around the same consequence as fighting, major theft, or even vandalism.
I fully understand why these consequences are in place, but I don’t understand how using your phone when not permitted could give you the same consequence as causing another student physical harm or skipping school. Consequences do need to be in place in order for this policy to work, but I feel like these don’t fit the crime.
I do believe that the policy has the possibility of being really good for the school, but there are going to be a lot of problems that come along with it. Over the summer more details will be finalized, but I hope this new rule will be successful.
In the current student handbook it also says how “the Board of Education assumes no responsibility in any circumstances whatsoever for the loss, destruction, or theft of any Personal Electronics Devices that are brought to school.”
If I put my phone in the phone caddy like I am supposed to, what happens if it falls and my phone breaks? Or if my phone gets taken either on purpose or accident? The school has no responsibility for my phone, but that might never have happened if I didn’t have to hand it in at the beginning. I could just not bring my phone to school in order to solve that problem on my own, but teachers might assume I am lying to them when I say I can’t turn it in.
I understand that this policy is set in place to help students be successful, but I feel like there are going to be problems that come along with it.
