CALLING ALL CELL PHONES
On Sept. 19, Principal Brent Kuykendall introduced a new cell phone policy that allows teachers to take away a student’s phone without consent if the student is using it in class or if it is on the student’s desk. In the past, there was no official cell phone rule. Teachers could only report to the office on instances when a student was disruptive, and the student would then receive a verbal warning or a referral based on the severity of the disruption. Due to the teachers’ frustration with the old system, a cell phone committee was formed to create a clearer policy. The new rule states that if a teacher has already made his or her personal classroom rules on cell phones clear and a student has his or her phone out or uses it, the teacher can simply take the student’s phone and keep it until the end of the period. While every teacher’s individual cell phone policy in the classroom should be abided by whether they restrict cell phone use at all times or are more lenient when it comes to having a device out, teachers should not be able to simply snatch a student’s phone at their own volition.
Each teacher implements his or her own set of rules when it comes to cellular devices, and if a teacher explicitly states that he or she does not want students to have their phones out, students should respect that rule and keep their phones in their backpacks. That being said, a student’s cell phone is not public property and teachers should not be allowed to confiscate a phone any time they see it out. Many students keep confidential material such as addresses, credit card information and passwords on their phones. While many teachers would not go through a student’s phone, incidents such as this have happened at other high schools and should be considered a potential problem.
There are also liability issues that come with the teacher’s right to take a phone. For example, if a student’s phone were to crack or break while in a teacher’s possession, it would be a problem in itself just to ascertain who would be responsible for the restoration of the phone. Issues such as a cracked phone while in a teacher’s hands or even the fact that a teacher took it in the first place could also lead to unwanted altercations in the classroom.
“If a teacher takes a phone and if it were to break, it would be [that teacher’s] fault,” junior Brian Lee said. “It was [the teacher’s] decision to take the phone, and [he or she] should be held accountable for whatever happens to it under [his or her] watch.”
While liability and privacy issues pose concerns to whether this policy should be legal or not, it is understandable why the administration wants to enforce stricter policies. Cell phones are a major distraction in a learning environment, and according to the Harvard Business Review, just the presence of a cell phone slows productivity and disrupts focus.
“[Some teachers] were concerned that we could not do our best job [teaching] because [students] were so easily distracted, yet we understood the distraction because if our phones [were] next to us, we would be looking at them too,” Algebra 2 teacher Linda Kurt said.
Teachers argue that they should be allowed to confiscate phones because if they have already established their classroom cell phone policies and a student still decides to use his or her phone, the student is the one at fault. Students should respect and uphold a teacher’s personal classroom guidelines and, in turn, a teacher should not infringe upon the student’s right to their private property, which is violated by the confiscation of cell phones.
“I think every teacher has to find a policy that creates a productive and positive dynamic in their classroom,” Algebra 2 and Aerospace Engineering teacher Emily Mellquist said. “However, I personally do not think that just taking a student’s phone is the best solution when it comes to these types of situations.”
Instead of resorting to the seizure of phones, teachers should instate a consequential system in which students will receive a referral or deduction of points if they violate a teacher’s cell phone policy. This would be a fair solution because teachers would not have to deal with issues that may arise from taking away phones and students who violate the policy would be held responsible for their actions.
“I do not think that it is right [for] the teacher to be able to grab a student’s phone,” junior Eujin Oh said. “[Other than] it being an invasion of our privacy, it can also [create] a rift in the relationships between students and teachers, which just results in [an overall] negative class environment.”
