During this school year CISD implemented a new cell phone policy. According to the policy, students are not allowed to use their electronic devices during school hours; they’re only allowed to be used before and after school, during class transitions, and during lunch.
“I believe that it was a matter of security, to stop any kind of illegal activities and protect the students’ privacy and safety during school hours,” Mr. Quintin Harrell said.
However, the students of CHS have some opposition to the policy. They argue that they need their phones to communicate with each other and their parents in times of urgency.
“It’s not fair, really. Like, what if something happens at home and my family can’t call or text me to let me know, or if something happens to me and I can’t call my parents?” an anonymous sophomore said.
Some students do manage to see the benefits of the policy. Most say that it has helped them focus more in class, which in turn helps them improve their overall performance. Others say it helped improve their communication and social skills.
“It benefits us by making us socialize more in person than by our devices,” Abigail Piconada said.
It is unknown how long the cell phone policy will last, or just how effective it is. While each side has an understandable argument, we can only hope that both the students and the staff can fall on a compromise that benefits each other.
by Chimdiadi Nwamba