Wake County staff and students respond to the state law concerning the new school phone policy, and share their opinions on the effects the policy has had on the school environment thus far.
Some members of our community believe it has posed a great benefit towards making school more effective, safe, and enjoyable, while others have pointed out some of the negatives that come with the phone policy.
¨Honestly, I think that the cell phone policy has kinda made it more difficult because I have more resources on my phone that I don’t have on my Chromebook, and it’s not even like cheating resources but like just things that can help me.¨ 12 grader Julie D´Auria said.
D´Auria raises some valid concerns; others offer a more positive view on this phone policy.
¨I think it’s made more time efficient because I’m not like picking up my phone and looking at it and getting distracted while I’m trying to do my work. ¨ 12 grader Cole Rogers said.
D´Auria and Roger show opposite sides of the student bodies’ opinion on the recent phone policy, but students, while being greatly impacted, are not the only ones. The school staff has also been affected by the classroom environment and how education has progressed, regressed, or remained the same since the phone policy was implemented.
¨Lot more focus. Students are paying a whole lot more attention because they’re not busy focusing on their phones, and it’s not easily accessible to them.¨ Crystal Barnes said
Rebecca Stephan and Barnes gave their opinions and observations on the phone policy, expressing how they think performances in the classroom have improved.
¨ So prior to this year, by this semester, I had kids failing. I don’t have anybody failing right now because they are paying attention, because they can’t be on their stupid phone. Attention to detail has been increased, like I do a lot of detailed stuff, as Eman can tell you. So they’re able to like keep more things in their head. I don’t have to reteach the same thing eight times because you’re paying attention. It’s great, like I love it so much.¨ Stephan said.
Despite the academic gains, the concern raised earlier about losing valuable resources remains a key point for students.
“It’s affected me in a way, cause like, like I said, I have work, so if I ever need to call out of work one day cause I’m really sick, or if I need somebody to cover my shift after a school activity, that’d really be bad for me, so it’s more negative.” 12 grader Christian Richardson said.
Ultimately, while the policy appears to be improving classroom focus and grades, the ongoing debate centers on balancing academic necessity with students’ personal needs.
