The school hallways look a lot different this year: students without blaring music, no phones to text on, or scroll through to find the latest updates. Students are forced to socialize in a technology-driven world.
This summer, Texas passed House Bill 1481, which bans the use of cell phones in public schools. Requiring all schools to implement, Jag faculty and students have felt the pressure of this shift.
“The negative thing about the phone ban is that it’s created a little bit of tension,” science teacher Dianna Sisson said. “I have a couple of students that have a hard time keeping their phones away. Teachers are now tasked with confiscating them which just creates tension.”
Senior Mia Bautista conveys how she thinks that paying back for phones seems a bit too much.
“I feel like having to pay for our phone back seems like too much because why would we have to pay for something that is ours,” Bautista said.“I understand if they take it away if we don’t pay attention, but paying for it back isn’t really a good idea. Some of us don’t have the money to pay to get it back that same day, or sometimes we need it for some type of emergency.”
To create a stronger learning environment, students are encouraged to limit phone use.
“I don’t want to deal with students’ phones,” Sisson said. “I don’t want to ask them for their phones. I don’t think phones have never been something that I’ve chosen to battle with in my classroom. If a student chooses to be on their phone as opposed to listening to the lesson then that’s their choice. So personally, I kind of have mixed feelings about it, but it’s kind of just forcing me to do something that I’ve never really wanted to do before. But that doesn’t mean I’m against it.”
Senior Ebony Aiyanyo states that taking away phones is taking away their focus as well.
“I don’t think the ban has really changed students’ focus, because I’m constantly thinking about my phone,” Aiyanyo said. “Whenever my phone goes off in my backpack, I’m just thinking about who just texted me or if some type of emergency has happened at home. I personally think that not having phones anymore is more of a distraction.”
When things students count on disappear, so does their peace of mind-turning reliance into stress and stability into worry.
“I think there is a level of anxiety that we feel when we don’t have access to things that we rely on,” Sisson said. “For instance, if a student is having a family emergency, we’re not allowed to let them be on their phone to deal with that emergency. They have to use a school phone that causes some emotional turmoil with students. So it really all depends on the situation,”
There are some cons about the new phone law, some pros that have helped change the students engage more with each other.
“The positive that I’ve seen with the phone ban is that students are staying on task a little bit better,” Sisson said. ”For instance, last year what I saw was that they would have their phone propped up on their computer. But now they diligently work on their assignment, and also help each other out so I’ve definitely seen some positives there. It’s helping focus the students’ attention to their work, but also creating opportunities for socialization that would have been missed if they’re on their headphones or on their phone.”
Taking a break from screens during class time allows students to connect more with teachers and classmates.
“I personally think that the phone ban allows students to have conversations or connections with their peers, even though they’ve never met or talked to each other before,” Aiyanyo said. “I think it allowed us to become more socially aware of what’s going on around us and help us develop new connections.”
Student participation is seen more among each other.
“As far as participation, I think a student is introverted and quiet,” Sisson said. “They’re going to remain that way. I will say that what’s changed is that they’re talking to each other more and they’re helping each other. More participation has changed among students.”
Senior Aralynn Cortez has seen a positive change in her learning environment.
“One thing the phone ban has changed for me is you actually get your work done faster and actually complete it in class,” Cortez said. “By being on my phone it would distract me from getting my work done or sometimes my headphones would cause me to miss instruction.”
Sisson hopes the new phone law helps students improve academically.
“My hope is that the whole purpose of this is to see student success improve,” Sisson said “We know that cell phones are a distraction, and they can forget about assignments because of their phones or not work on their classwork, which can impact their grades. So what I’m expecting is to see an improvement in grades.”
