Bellevue Public implemented a cell phone policy at the start of the 2024-2025 school year. Teachers and students tend to have quite different views of this policy, however, they are not all for the same reasons. Now that we’ve entered the second semester most students and teachers have become accustomed to it, but not necessarily fond of it.
Sophomore Millie Schwabe is not in favor of the policy. To her, it’s sort of pointless because she doesn’t think she’s the type of student to need the phone policy. Schwabe said she’s always paid attention in class, therefore she doesn’t feel much benefit from it.
“I think that if a student’s not paying attention in class, I feel like that’s their fault,” Schwabe said.
Although there has been no direct effect on Schwabe’s learning, she has noticed improvement with her peers. Before the policy, kids would get on their phone during class, but after it was implemented more paying attention and efficiency has been apparent.
“There’s more in class interactions now,” Schwabe said.
Social studies teacher Louis Harrison defends the policy strongly. For Harrison, phones have always been a competition for him while trying to teach.
“It definitely has made my job easier as a teacher, and not having to compete with TikTok,” Harrison said. “I can’t make AP government as exciting as all the things that are out there available on somebody’s phone.”
Sophomore Braedy Streeter is another student not in favor of the policy. Streeter said that during downtime throughout the day he should be entitled to his phone. Not being able to have his AirPods in listening to music is one of the big problems with the policy for him.
“During study hall, that’s my time, I should be able to do what I want with it,” Streeter said. “I want to listen to my music and I can’t have an AirPod in while I’m just trying to work.”
Streeter does admit that he feels he is more focused in class now, however he still stands by his argument that there are more negatives than positives from the policy and this opinion hasn’t changed since first semester.
English teacher Breanna Potter supports the phone policy and has seen the benefits on both the teachers and the students. Potter said she wishes it was in place last year however everyone was on different pages, making it harder to enforce.
“I think that we need to learn that a professional space is still a professional space, and that relationships with one another, with one another, kind of trump that online social media stuff,” Potter said. “Overall, my job is to teach and I need to protect my learning environment.”
Since first semester Potter said her productivity as well as her students has greatly increased, and now she finds it easier to enforce the policy, with much less resistance.
“I think it’s increased how fast they’re learning things, and also probably the most important thing to me, is that I think that conversations between students are happening more often,” Potter said. “I think that they’re becoming more comfortable talking to each other on a personal level and about academic stuff too.”
