West Salem High School’s new no-cell-to-bell policy tries to solve the problems of distractions that students face every day. But in the students’ eyes, this new policy encourages them to try and hide their phones instead of being present in the school environment.
On the other hand, staff members think the phone policy is an amazing step in helping students be more attentive in class.
Sophomore Henry Anderson, said,” Honestly, I feel as if it is taking away a valuable tool. If I need to look something up it is a way to pull out my cell phone as opposed to an entire Chromebook.” This enforces the idea that students believe there are problems that will need to be fixed about the phone policy.
English teacher Madeleine Hannah said, “I have personally seen how harmful phones can be to learning and so I’m really excited for this opportunity to take that obstacle away and let people just be able to learn without distractions.”
How well is the new cell phone policy being enforced and is it helping students improve their attentiveness in class? Principal Carlos Ruiz said, “I’ve walked into some classrooms to where I redirect the student when the teacher maybe has their back turned and someone is trying to sneak it.” He goes on to say, “If we are distracted or our brain is somewhere else, it can limit our ability to build community.” This demonstrates that the administration and staff at West Salem High School want the students to succeed at school by introducing a policy that will help students be more focused and interactive in class.
Mr. Ruiz went on to say, “I’ve checked in with other students and asked, ‘Hey, how is things going?’ They don’t think it’s as bad as they thought it was going to be.”
Anderson also states, “I don’t think many students like the cell phone policy because like I’ve said, it’s just annoying. It’s one more thing to think about when you’re already busy doing homework, checking grades, and all these things. The good thing about cell phones is they’re compact. It’s not a whole Chromebook.”
The new phone policy may have opened to mixed reviews from students and teachers. But in the staff’s eyes the policy tries to help students be observant in their classes even if students can hide it. The policy still has its problems that need to be worked out but trying to help the students in any way is an important step in improving West Salem High School.
