In most school districts, a phone policy of some sort has been in limbo throughout the last decade, in regards to how much freedom students get with their phones in the classroom.
So far in the ’25-26 school year, departments at OH have created new practices for classroom management regarding cell phones. The Math, Science, and World Language Departments have all gone with the same idea: students will place their phones in a designated area during class time, as instructed by the teacher.
“[Within] the first two weeks of school, [teachers] have seen everybody actually talking to each other, kids are [having] better communication and discussion, which has been a big push over the past couple years,” said Jon Roth, the Science Department Chair.
Beyond the vague clause in the SD308 Student Code of Conduct (below), district administrators have neglected to enforce the issue at the high school level, and teachers had to come up with an innovative way to get the students more engaged, coming out of the pandemic, where everything was online.
“I just catch myself scrolling, and it’s like; why am I doing this? …I know there are other things I could be doing, but we get caught in that,” Roth said. “Personally, in my classes, it’s just having the space for the phone to go that has been welcomed by students.”
Teachers had attempted this new practice during the ’24-25 school year, but it didn’t land well during that time, as it was started during only the second half of the year, and students essentially rejected the idea entirely.
While many staff members thought that this pushback would remain this year, it has actually been the opposite. One freshman science teacher, Katie Ludolph, who teaches both freshmen biology, and earth and space science, incorporating most grade levels, has had no issues from students thus far.
“I have had absolutely all positive experiences in all of my classes, I haven’t had a single student try and not follow the policy. …It’s supposed to be that you call home after the ‘first offense’ and from that it would be Mr. Roth,” said Ludolph.
This new process takes the weight off of the teachers, and allows the department chairs to deal with the parents, so educators can focus more on teaching their students, rather than handling cell phone issues, something Ludolph has shown some appreciation for.
From the student side of things, they don’t seem to mind it too much, as long as everyone does it. One OH senior in particular, Gabe Velazquez, states that the new practice has definitely changed his experience this year.
“It is effective in a way that it forces students to talk to other people, and it’s beneficial for students as a whole,” said Velazquez.
When we live in an era where technology is a barrier to in-person communication, things like this can be quite favorable in schools.
In many schools across the country, phones have been outlawed entirely from even entering the building. Many states have enacted laws that have taken phones out of the question in public schools. However, Velazquez also said that his phone isn’t imperative to have in school.
“I would be [okay] with no phone, I have been trying to do my best with not using my phone in school, but I feel like I do better in school without my phone,” said Velazquez.
It appears that this new practice in classes at OH has shown exceptional results for both the students and the teachers.
The COVID-19 pandemic certainly brought everything online, and there has been a need to regulate the use of devices in schools to help students collaborate more effectively.
Hello, I'm Roman Berger, and this is my first year with the 42Fifty Staff team. I am currently a Senior at Oswego High School, and plan on writing lots of articles related to the news or opinion sections. You can contact me by emailing 42Fifty@sd308.org and putting my name in the subject line. We welcome comments on our articles and feedback on our publication!
