At a first glance, the cell phone policy at Clarke Central High School may seem too strict, but upon closer inspection it is advantageous for the student body. Cartoon by Audrey Kennedy
Clarke Central High School’s new cell phone policy is beneficial for the student body.
Students walk into their class, putting their cell phones into a bucket held out by their teacher who is standing by the door. The students won’t get their cells phones back until the end of class.
Five out of 13 English department teachers at Clarke Central High School are taking this new approach to the school’s cell phone policy. English department teacher Ginger Lehmann was one of the first to suggest it to her colleagues.
“It’s an obvious problem that I think is reaching ahead, and so my decision was to collect all of the cell phones at the beginning of class and lock them in the cabinet and then hand them back out at the end,” Lehmann said
The 2018-19 CCHS Student handbook states, “Any cell phone being used or heard during instructional time will be confiscated and returned to the parent on Thursday from 12:00 – 4:30 p.m.” Though this has been a policy since 2012, it is being reinforced this school year.
Taking up phones before class is a vital way to avoid distraction for CCHS students and to allow them to succeed. The freedom from distractions can have many benefits, including improving students’ performance at school.
According to a 2015 study from the Centre for Economic Performance, exam scores increased by as much as six percent after a ban on cell phone use.
Some may argue cell phones are a great help inside the classroom, due to the access to calculators, cameras, educational apps, and a multitude of other internet resources.
However, if allowed to have their phones out in class, the costs outweigh the benefits. Cell phones can be a major distraction, allowing students to be deterred by games, music and texts.
According to the 2010 study “Teens and Phones” by the Pew Research Center, 64 percent of students with cell phones texted in class.
Ultimately, while cell phones can provide students with useful resources inside the classroom, phones are more often counterproductive for those who should be focusing on schoolwork.
It may not be a popular policy, but the new cell phone policy is necessary.
