As the new school year has begun at Tenafly High School, students have experienced mixed feelings about the cell phone rule to keep phones out of sight, which is enforced more heavily this year.
The new cell phone rule stipulates that students must keep their phones in the caddies during the entire class period unless allowed by a teacher to use the phone for activities such as Kahoot reviews. Last year, the phone caddies were only optional for classes, but now this year it is mandatory for all classes.
Mr. Morrison decided to enforce this rule once the year started because schools from all over the county found that students have been using their phones too much during school hours and that it is distracting, according to Mrs. Halliwell and Mrs. Haggerty, two of the Student Support Leaders.
They went on to say that many schools banned phones in school completely, with teachers or administrators collecting phones from students at the beginning of the day and not giving them back until school ends. But Morrison thought that it would be irrational to enforce this harsh rule because he wanted students to be able to have their phones during IDTs and lunch.
In one study that was done last year by Common Sense Media, scientists made data analysis charts to analyze the daily cell phone usage by teens. They analyzed specifically what apps these cellphone-addicted teens used the most, how many notifications they received per day, and what hours they used their phones on average throughout the day.
“Kids between the ages of 11 and 17 were on their phones for a median of almost 4½ hours per day,” according to NPR Education. “And while some kids only used
their phones for a few minutes, others averaged more than 16 hours a day.”
This ban is supposed to be beneficial to students, to increase their engagement in the classroom. Also, it helps the teachers not have to worry about students missing instructions or lessons due to the distractions of their cell phones.
“Teachers say that phone bans in the classroom have helped improve students’ abilities to concentrate on their lessons and work in groups,” according to The New York Times.
Ours is not the only school where this rule is enforced, either. As stated in Education Week, schools in the states of Arkansas, Connecticut, Delaware, Florida, Indiana, Louisiana, Minnesota, Ohio, Pennsylvania, South Carolina, Virginia, and Washington have banned or restricted cell phones as well.
But not everyone agrees that cell phones should be collected from students at school. Salvatore Misuraca, a student from Washington, expressed to The Washington Post that “students already feel as though school takes away their freedom and time to be with friends and family.” He went on to add, “If phones were confiscated, students might react negatively because phones are their only outlet to the outside world during school hours.”
Some Tenafly students also feel that the new policy is an invasion.
“Although I understand that teachers want kids to pay attention in class, I think the phone caddy rule is unfair and unnecessary,” Zoe Koblence (’25) said. “If anything, it makes me want my phone more knowing that I have it taken away from me.”
Others believe the change is necessary.
“I think this rule is helpful because it takes away distractions from classes,” Sienna Mendez (’25) said.
Ultimately, while the new cell phone policy aims to enhance focus and engagement in classrooms, it has sparked a range of emotions among the students.
