On December 16, as most people know, the school board passed a new phone policy. It said that starting January 5, students may not use their phone from “bell to bell.” This meant students may not use any device that could connect to the internet, transmit, or receive data from 9:30 AM until 4:18 PM. Broad Run’s students gave their opinions about how they felt during the first few days of the new phone policy.
Sophomore Ava Gardner said that there were pros and cons about the phone policy. She said, “Some challenges with the new phone policy is I can’t text my parents for questions and for important tasks that I need my phone for. People will connect more from forced socialization. I think the phone policy should be put in place on the child from their parents, not the government.”
Junior Angelina Alvarado Melendez had some opinions about the phone policy as well. She said, “So far, I feel like the policy is allowing students to interact more with each other. It also takes the responsibility off from the teachers to be asking us to put our phones in the caddy. However, I still see people using their phones during class, in empty hallways, or when teachers aren’t around. Before, some students would go on their phones during lunch when they didn’t feel like interacting with one another. Now, they sit by themselves or sit in silence with their friends. Some students even go to teacher’s classes.”
Junior Noel Ross also added on to the topic saying, “I think the first few days without checking my phone felt odd, as I constantly felt like I was missing something. The phone caddy was empty too, which was comforting knowing my phone is in my bag. The only minor problem I have is not being able to check my personal email or being able to scan QR codes around the school. I think I was able to be more productive and present during class and have more conversations with my friends.”
There are benefits and challenges that everyone faces while getting used to the new phone policy. I personally think that it isn’t that bad. It helps us connect with others and can help us be more productive throughout the day without having our phones. It might be hard to get used to it at first, but eventually, it will not be a challenge to follow.
