More and more schools across the U.S are starting to ban cell phone use during the school day. Some schools are making students lock them in pouches while others aren’t allowing them at all, but here at Ridgeview High school, phone use is still allowed at certain times.
Across the country, principals and teachers are pushing for phone bans for multiple different reasons. They say phones are getting in the way of learning, but not everyone agrees, students and some parents have mixed opinions.
At Ridgeview High School, principal Roger Sanchez stated his view on it. Sanchez believes that the phone ban has a couple of benefits. These benefits include focusing better in class and encouraging socializing amongst students. “Without phones, I feel like students would be able to socialize better,” Sanchez also states that although phone allowance might have its downsides such as distracting students in class and isolating students, he does not plan on adding any new phone rules.
The phone ban has been going on for a while, but got more popular in the last year or two. In 2023, starting in Florida, the phone ban spread across many different districts. Some bans started as recently as this summer. From district to district, schools all over the country are trying different ways to limit phone use. Yondr pouches are a popular tool used in schools that keeps phones locked away. Teachers and staff believe that phones are a distraction to students and prevent them from learning. Some also worry about cheating and cyberbullying. To add, studies show that less screen time can improve grades and focus. Depending on the school, some students say they enjoy having fewer distractions while others think it’s too strict or too much.
At Ridgeview High School, students are still allowed to use phones between classes, at lunch, and sometimes in class with teacher permission. We talked to students at Ridgeview High school to hear what they think.
Valerie Lozano stated her opinion on the phone ban. Lozano states that the phone ban is unnecessary and could be dangerous in certain scenarios. “I think they shouldn’t ban phones because sometimes there could be emergencies or sometimes you need to check it for certain reasons,” Lozano states that she uses her phone often during the school day and it’s helpful in some situations. “Having phones is useful because say a teacher isn’t in class, but you have a question, you could try googling it for a better understanding,” she added.
Isabella Bedolla also stated her opinion on the phone ban. Bedolla states how she doesn’t understand the phone ban and thinks there could be alternatives. “I feel like completely banning phones is too much, they can just adjust the rules a bit,” Bedolla thinks that schools should keep the usual phone rule. “I mean sometimes there’s emergencies, maybe they could keep the rule where you only use it during passing period and lunch,” she added.
Phone bans are getting more and more serious across many districts across the country for multiple reasons, though everyone has different opinions on it and debates are getting bigger. Ridgeview High School does not plan on adding any additional phone rules, but students should still be respectful and not take advantage of the school rules.
