Eagle's Voice

Since the state mandated cellphone ban took effect at Central Regional High School, teachers and students both can agree that the school day has changed, though not everyone agrees that the policy is working the way they wanted it to work.

The policy, which asks students to download an app that keeps their cellphone locked during the school day. Students can still access emergency calls and if needed, it’s possible to override the locked phone. The administration can see who overrides it. This new policy applies to all students. Schools in New Jersey were told cellphones are not permitted in schools bell to bell but, each school got to create their own policy of choice and this is the way Central Regional went about it.

English teacher Mrs. Wilfrid said she has seen a real improvement in her classroom. “There’s definitely been a better environment in the classroom because they’re not obsessed with checking social media every 5 seconds.” Wilfrid said.

However, the ban has also created challenges. Mrs. Wilfrid said she has had to change assignments that depended on students using their phones to complete it. For her Lord of the Flies project, she said, “kids were using cellphones to make videos.” So she now has to figure out another way to go about the project.

Phones were also a backup option for students who forgot their Chromebooks and didn’t have a charger. Wilfrid said students used to look up vocabulary words on their phones in those scenarios, which they can no longer do.

Not everybody agrees. Other teachers see the policy’s impact in a different light. Mr. Booth, a math teacher, said he does not believe the ban has been effective in the way the school hoped for it to be and that he does not think most students follow the policy.

On the other hand, Mr. Booth did say the ban has helped him connect with students this school year. “I think it’s been better, but it could be much better,” Booth said.

Students also have their own views on the cellphone policy. Senior Gianna Pittman said she has two main concerns when asked about the cellphone ban, one of them was about being able to reach her phone in an emergency.

“In my experience, I think it’s a little over top because if something happened, I would want immediate access to my phone.” Gianna said. “I also feel that the app they are trying to get is an invasion because I don’t think it’s fair they know if I am on my phone.”

The app, SafeConnect, is the school’s way of implementing the cellphone policy. Having the app allows for students to keep their cellphones on them, but it’s unusable for anything besides emergencies. The app protects students personal privacy, it doesn’t collect any data, messages, location, etc.

The teachers’ and students’ perspectives on the new policy definitely cause a debate over phone restrictions in schools. Supporters of the policies often agree that it causes less distractions and more face to face interaction. Others can agree that the bans can limit useful classroom tools, cause concerns about student phone access in emergencies, and are difficult to enforce consistently.

As the school year continues, Central Regionals teachers and students are still adjusting to their new daily school day under the policy.