Governor Phil Murphy plans on introducing a cell phone ban to improve the mental health and concentration of students in New Jersey. The rule mostly applies to classrooms. In fact, some schools have already implemented this ban.
Other Schools’ Policies
The idea of banning cell phones in schools isn’t even a foreign concept. Locking cell phones in “Yondr” pouches have become a normal practice at some schools already. The main purpose is to eliminate distractions. Montclair, Ramsey, and Plainfield are a few of the districts that use this method.
Ramsey high school is one of the schools that have already banned phones from classrooms. The school started their ban in January of this year. It is mandatory for phones to be locked away in pouches and students cannot get them back until the end of the day.
What will RHS do about it?
RHS will be piloting its own cell phone ban at the start of Q4 this school year. Students will be required to put their phones in the phone caddy at the start of each class and can only use it during lunch and possibly Study Hall. Our administration hasn’t considered the Yondr pouches that other schools have been using yet. Many schools don’t even have the pouches currently because it would cost thousands of dollars to buy one for each student. RHS may only do this if deemed necessary.
One Yondr pouch costs about $25 or $30. According to the U.S. News & World Report, there are over 700 students at Rutherford High School. In order to buy at least 700 pouches, that would cost around $17,500 to $21,000 based on this figure. There may also be additional costs for this type of technology and materials.
Will students be able to adjust?
Currently, many students are attached to their phones and sometimes won’t put them in their classroom’s phone caddy even if the teacher requires them to. This is likely going to be a difficult thing to get used to, especially for forgetful students. However, some have had optimistic outlooks. I have classmates who believe that this ban might have a positive effect on grades, since students will be more able to focus and concentrate.
There are classes where students are always on their phones. So when phones have to be put away, what will they turn to? On one hand, maybe they’ll start doing their work. On the other hand, they might try to find an alternative by connecting their laptop to their phone or sneaking their phones into class. This could result in even more strict policies that teachers will enforce and could result in more students getting detention as well as other punishments for stuff like “burner” phones.
We recently did a poll on the R-Hi Instagram asking about the influence of phones on students. After asking about phones’ impact on grades, 41% agreed that phones negatively affect students’ grades while 59% disagreed. After asking about whether a phone ban would improve student performance, only 31% agreed while 69% disagreed.
Interview with Mr. Morano
Q: Is there a certain point when phones will be banned in all NJ schools’ classrooms or is it going to be a long process for a lot of schools?
A: It’s going to be a long process, as it is just a direction Murphy wants to go. However, his term is ending soon, so only time will tell. Despite what the governor rules, schools are going to have their own rules, including RHS.
Q: Do you agree that the ban will eliminate distractions and keep students focused, bettering their grades/performance even if they can’t use ChatGPT anymore?
A: 100%; My goal is to educate students to use Chat GPT the right way
Q: How will teachers be enforcing a cell phone caddy rule in their classrooms, and what are the disciplinary measures that will be taken if a student does not comply?
A: As soon as students enter the room, they put their phones in the caddy. There will be strict disciplinary measures like detentions and the severity of the disciplinary actions will increase the more times a student is caught with their phone.
Q: Is the school considering a “pouch” system like they are doing in Ramsey HS?
A: Not yet. We want to see how the phone caddy does before considering a pouch system as it is a costly pursuit. Basically, we need more data to see if we’ll do it.
Q: Is this ban going to be enforced at the younger grades as well or just the high school?
A: I can speak only for the high school, but I will be speaking with Mr. Schweitzer, the principal at Union School, about the details. So, this may affect the younger grades as well.
Teacher interview: Mrs. O’Boyle
Q: What do you think about the proposed phone ban?
A: I think that banning phones in schools is a policy that would be beneficial to student attention and learning. It would create a more productive learning environment in classrooms.
Q: Do you think this will ultimately help students?
A: If phones are banned, student performance would most likely improve.
Q: What are phones like in your classes?
A: Students put their phones in the caddy. However, it is a daily struggle. Most students find it difficult to part with their phones for the hour of class. Sometimes, students employ tricks to get around the caddy, which adds to the disruptive nature of cell phones in the classroom.
Student Interview: G.T. Pakovics
Q: What do you think about the proposed phone ban?
A: It’s going to help students focus on work instead of goofing around. I also feel like there’s going to be lots of resistance and people trying to get around the phone caddies.
Q: Do you think this will ultimately help students or not?
A: I feel it will have a mixed effect. Some students may stop using their phones but there are probably others who will try to still use phones and get in trouble.
Q: Are phones necessary for any of your classes?
A: No, definitely not. I really don’t need them, they’re not a necessity. Maybe for specific needs, though, like AP Drawing where students use their phones to take photos of their art.
Q: What are phones like in your classes?
A: I see a lot of people using their phones in most of my classes. I have a few classes that do require a phone caddy and there are significantly less people on their phones.
Q: What are the effectiveness of caddies? Does the current system work to keep you away from your phone?
A: Personally, it keeps me away from my phone. I don’t know about other people; it doesn’t seem to work. People may put their phone case in the caddy instead of the phone, but generally speaking, the effectiveness is a mixed bag.
My opinion
Personally, I don’t care much about this new policy. However, I do wonder what this means for classes like AP Drawing where students usually take photos of their work with their phone for submission. But regardless, I don’t think this new policy will be that bad of a change. At the end of the day, it won’t be stopped, so all we can do now is prepare for the consequences.