Now that the 2024-2025 school year is almost over, it is time to ask the question on many people’s minds: Was the new phone policy successful?

For this school year GEHS implemented a new phone policy to try and, according to the district’s website, “enhance the learning environment and student safety.” 

Many teachers do believe that the policy has had a positive impact on the learning environment.

“The phone policy made a positive impact on my students’ learning,” said Julie Gillette, sophomore English teacher.

Matthew Mayeske, a history teacher here at GEHS, had a very similar opinion.

“I would say it’s been fantastic,” Mayeske said. “It has been very beneficial, and I love it.”

I am not going to disagree with these teachers, I do believe that in many classrooms the phone policy has had a positive impact. However, I do not think that the phone policy has lived up to exactly what it was meant to be.

“Do I see students in the hallways or sometimes in seminar or in class with phones? Yes,” Mayeske said.

Many teachers, just like Mayeske, have also allowed students to have their phones on their person as long as the teacher does not see them.

As the year went on, I have seen less and less phones being put in their caddies, and I don’t necessarily think it is a bad thing. Phones are not helpful in a person’s education and can often be a distraction but if the district wants to teach students “the importance of responsible technology use” like the policy says then I think it is a great idea for students to make the choice to stay off their phone and care about their education instead of their being a physical separation from their devices.

Plenty of caddies are not filled. Yes, but classrooms look better. Students are not on their phones as much and that was the whole point of the policy. 

Mayeske examines that for the future with this policy he would change anything, just didn’t want anyone to “give up.”

“Don’t come back next year and let loose,” Mayeske said.

I agree. The last thing the district should do is stop making students follow the policy. Teachers are seeing the benefits and when it comes to students safety there have been less fights this school year than previous ones. Though that fact may also be thanks to the shorter passing periods. 

This policy overall has had a positive impact on GEHS. However, I think that there are some changes that could be made to the original policy. 

Regarding the phone caddies, I find them unnecessary at this point. If teachers are paying attention and supervising students, I believe phones should be able to be turned off and tucked away in back packs.

I think the phone policy being implemented is a good thing, but creating a strict policy and not holding it to the high standards it set can lead to the opposite effect that was wanted. That’s why I think some changes might need to take place for next year. The standards should be maintained but maybe the degree of the consequences or restrictions can be changed. 

Overall, I think that the policy has had a good outcome though in practice rules have changed and I think the official policy should reflect that.