Cell phones have been in the pockets of students for over a decade now, and as the lure of social media, games, and online videos intensifies, it doesn’t appear this technology will vanish from high schoolers’ hands any time soon.

Freshmen Principal Jada Bell does not believe these personal devices are a positive influence in the classroom and aims to keep these devices out of the hands of freshmen during class time.  

“While I agree that students should be connected to technology, I worry about those students that are so connected where they become disconnected from the instruction taking place in the classroom. [When] I learned that the class of ‘22 had the privilege of having their own Chromebooks, that alleviated the need for [students] to have their cell phones during instructional time,” said Bell.

Bell made the decision to construct a simple cell phone policy for the beginning of the school year. The policy consisted of an “out of sight” rule which states cell phones may not be on the desk, in one’s lap, or visible while lessons are taking place. If students are caught with their cell phones at an inappropriate time, their device is confiscated for the day by principals and staff members who regularly check classrooms in search of technology that should be put away. However, there are exceptions.

“Every teacher is given a two-sided poster. One side says ‘out of sight’, which means exactly that. The other [side] says ‘access granted’ because I know sometimes we have creative lessons where a phone is wanted and needed,” Bell said.

As Parkway North finishes its first month of school, teachers are certainly feeling the effects of these bright yellow cell phone signs.

“[Taking away cell phones] creates a positive social norm,” said English teacher Wendy Surinsky, “I’ve gone through several cell phone policies, and this year I decided I would put [cell phones] in a bin and stick them in the closet. I had decided this before I saw the new policies. I love that it’s a grade-wide cell phone policy now. There’s follow through, and I think the expectations have been made clearer for students.”

It was the freshmen who were most impacted by the policies, however, as in middle school, such rules did not exist.

“I think [the policies] are something needed in the curriculum, but they’re a little strict. Sometimes, people have their phones sitting on their desks and they’re not even touching [their cell phones], but the rules say they must be out of sight,” said freshman Gabi Brawner. “I feel like as long as you’re not on your phone, you’re fine.”

Freshman Bethany Helling said, “Kids are always on their phones playing Fortnite, checking their notifications, or checking social media. [Freshmen] can do everything they want to on their Chromebooks now.”

It is clear the new cell phone policies will continue to be a topic of debate, and in an age strewn with technology, it is inevitable that students will bring their devices to school. Bell hopes her restrictions will encourage students to engage in real-world learning including when it is appropriate to use a cell phone.