Is admin losing the fight over phones?

Posted Dec. 11, 2022

By Jayden Starr

Cub Reporter

Has the school administration lost the fight over phones causing disruptions on campus, or, have they won this fight against the students who are caught using their phones during school hours?

School administrators try to keep phones put away on campus to respect the students' privacy (especially in locker rooms and bathrooms), to keep others from becoming distracted, to prevent cheating, etc. Students who are caught using their phones out, have the phones taken away for the day and usually their parent(s) have to come and pick the phone up from the attendance office.

If the administration can’t keep up with the amount of students who have their phones out, what will happen? The students don’t give up easily, so how will the administrators handle this ongoing distraction? Students attending David Douglas High School have still managed to figure out ways to be on their phones without the school staff members taking the phones away.

Phones tend to be a huge distraction in classes, hallways, and overall during school hours. Phones being used during school hours causes staff members of the school to make sure students aren’t preventing the education for other students and for the students themselves. 

The school administration has been working their hardest to be sure students are off their phones, attending classes, and being educated so they’re ready for their future, but will that change? The only preferred reason for students to keep their phones on them is for when there’s an emergency, but even then the school has security guards at entrances in order for students to be safe. How do these students manage to keep their phones from being taken away while still being able to use it?

Students using the excuse of needing to go to the bathroom in the middle of classes may be a part of how students are able to use their phones. Some students tend to skip classes or attend class until they’re bored, then ask to use the bathroom in order to hang out around their friends, or even they use their phones while accompanying their other friends who also skip classes. Teachers can’t prevent students from using this excuse of needing to use the restroom, what will happen if it happens to become worse and more students use their phones?