The Storm

CVA’s New Cell Phone Policy

by Kadence Lyman

This fall CVA implemented a new phone policy that has stirred up many opinions among the staff, students and parents who are impacted by it. According to various sites such as Pew Research Center, 72% of all high school students use their cell phones in class. Other university websites say stricter cell phone policies result in better grades, better attention to detail, and more engagement when questions are being asked. Still, even with all of the statistics, it remains a controversial topic within the district itself on whether or not it actually helps. It seems as though everyone is split right down the middle.

Since the cell phone policy was implemented, the school has received plenty of good responses from both students and teachers alike. One student said, “I never had a cell phone. It felt like I was the lowest of the low on the social hierarchy and now it feels like everyone is on the same level.”  

A teacher said, “With phones gone it feels like I am actually talking to human beings again and not to a brick wall.”   

It is not just the people in the school who are being affected by this new phone policy either, but it's also the parents outside the building. One parent said, “It feels like I am getting my kid back. Before they just wanted to hide in their room and just be on their phones, and now they actually engage with me. For the first time in a while, my child looked at me when I picked them up and said, ‘Hey mom, guess what I learned in school today?’ It was the most interaction we have had in months.” As shown, many actually like the phone policy, although sometimes it might not be said a lot. It doesn't just help with school lives, but it also improves home lives and the communication skills between students and their parents.

Although there are many positive opinions on the phone policy, it is also important to recognize the negative views, for not all policies are perfect. Pointing out some of the flaws allows the school to improve the policy in a way that will work for everyone. One teacher said, “I think the policy isn't very efficient as kids are just using their personal laptops to text their friends and other people and play games in class. I wish the school could ban all other devices except school-issued chromebooks, and block all games so they have nothing else to do but schoolwork and focus.” Interestingly, we have recently received an email from Mr. Keeler and he has reiterated that no student should be on any personal devices and should only be using school-issued chromebooks.

One student added, “Without my phone, I think I actually have more anxiety.  With all the school shootings that have happened I sometimes worry about us. What if there is an incident like that and all the phones are out because the perpetrator cut the power? We would have no way to call our parents and tell them we are ok.”  

This statement is actually a genuine question that I have heard from many students in CVA, and even parents have said this. One parent also said, “My daughter had a panic attack in the bathroom of CVA. Normally she would call me because she feels uncomfortable talking to people she isn't super close to about personal things. She had to endure this alone because she had no way of contacting me.”  

The question remains, is the new cell phone policy helpful or not? It really depends on the person you're asking because at the end of the day everyone has, and is entitled to, their own opinions, and whether somebody agrees or disagrees really depends on their own beliefs and experiences. One thing is for sure and that is that students definitely seem to agree that there are less distractions!