FVHS is implementing a new policy to limit phone usage. It is to be enacted beginning during the second semester of this school year and entails teachers holding students’ phones in a designated place for the duration of the class period.
Cell phones aren’t to be used unless permission is given by the teacher to do so. There are a few exceptions for specific circumstances, such as medical necessities or during emergency situations.
Whether they’ll be kept in cubbies, baskets or another area is up to the teacher to decide. Every classroom functions differently, but it is required for every teacher to implement the policy.
AP US history and economics teacher Jonathan Bushhouse was a major piece in the process of developing this new cell phone policy.
“This isn’t a middle school. The notion that we’re going to outright ban them doesn’t really help a group that is trying to navigate entering the workforce and the real world,” said Bushhouse. “The hope is that we slowly start to focus more clearly on there being a time for different activities.”
The idea behind the policy is simple: limit distractions to students during class time. There will likely be outrage from some students, with arguments based on personal property and the necessity of being able to contact home when needed. But the school is still hopeful that students will come to appreciate the benefits that the policy presents.
The school ran a few pilot classrooms during the first semester — Bushhouse’s class being one of them — in order to test the effectiveness of the policy. After surveying students within those classes, most students reported feeling more on task and like they learned more without the distraction of phones.
“The belief that these devices we have are simply tools that are going to help us may not be the case anymore,” said Bushhouse. “The hope is that we mitigate some of the impacts to learning.”
