Since Westerville North High School has implemented new enforcements for the old district electronics policy, there have been many students who disagree with it. Although it’s understandable how people can find it annoying, I don’t think students should entirely disagree with it.
The electronics policy prevents students from using electronics like phones, airpods and speakers without getting permission from a teacher. Each teacher enforces this rule in the classroom differently.
Depending on the teacher, a student will be given lunch detention for having their phone out after a certain amount of times. Some teachers have students put their phone in a separate location, like a pouch on the wall or a “phone hotel”.
Research from Stockton University says that the “use of technology reduces cognitive thinking ability” and “has resulted in shorter attention spans.” There is a reason for making an effort to remove phones from the classroom. With the new policy the school is trying to get rid of the distraction that phones create when used during class.
While some students can understand this, some still think that the punishments for having your phone out in class are unreasonable.
Having to put your phone in a pouch on the wall or simply having it confiscated by a teacher is not unreasonable. The simplest solution to students being on their phones during class is to take away their phone.
I usually just keep my phone in my pocket instead of putting it in some container or pouch. I don’t get my phone taken away for doing this because I don’t use it during class.
These consequences are reasonable for people who do actually use their phone in class instead of paying attention. You shouldn’t worry about the new enforcements of the electronics policy if you’re not someone who takes out their phone during class.
Although the electronics policy has been a rule in the Westerville City Schools handbook for a while now, North is just now creating rules that enforce it at our school. Since Covid, students have been more and more reliant on technology and there have been more cases of students using their phones during class.
The rules only exist because of students who have problems with staying off their phones during class. Students should make an effort to disconnect from their phones during class.
