How the New Phone Policy at Central High School Affects Students

Throughout the years, students at Central High School have been using their electronics too much during school hours, so this school year Unit 4 created a new phone policy, one that is more straightforward than the old policy from last year.

Since the 2023-24 school year, Central High School and Unit 4 staff have discussed the possibility of creating a new phone policy for the 2024-25 school year, and they have finally made it happen. Now, students have been behaving well with the new phone policy.

Reactions to the new policy were mixed, “Most students at Central are not okay with the new phone policy but some others students are fine with it, including me,” answered Rose Seals. Some students have been irritated about the new policy, as once they get caught the student has to go straight to the AP’s office to get it taken for the day. 

The new phone policy has been helping students stay on task and allows for universal expectations across all classrooms. “There are a few things about it that could be better, but overall, I like it,” answered Ellie Krows. This new policy helps keep phones away from students and distractions out of the classroom. 

If the policy wasn’t ever created it would be quite unpleasant and frustrating for teachers.

Having the immediate consequence of sending students to the AP office can be a little frustrating. Especially since students end up missing instruction or work time in class. Ms. Muehl, a teacher at Central, commented, “If we are implementing the policy to make sure the students stay focused, it sometimes feels counterintuitive to send them out of the classroom as a punishment.”

Teachers should be allowed to confiscate students’ phones, rather than having the students take it down to the AP’s office. Yet teachers also understand that they have to send the students to the AP’s to get their phone taken.