The new phone policy has certainly stirred up controversy among both the students and faculty at FM. The policy is excruciatingly defended by its supporters and criticized by its detractors. But is the phone policy really as bad as it’s made out to be? Is the large crackdown on phone usage necessary? How about a unique view for a change. Overall, the phone policy is justified, but there’s certain things that need clarification, changes, and exceptions.
Let’s summarize the non-controversial part: no phones in the classroom and bathroom. No phones in class is pretty obvious but how about the bathroom? Firstly, it’s a little gross to be using it in the bathroom, but more importantly, it is a place of privacy. People should not have to be worried about a phone being on while doing their business. These are all parts we can get behind, but let us dive a little deeper, starting with the “3 offense” rule.
The first offense is an automatic confiscation with phones getting brought to the main office. The second offense is a confiscation plus detention. In the third offense, your parents are notified and they have to come pick it up. You also receive a 5:00 detention. The first offense should be a warning, as someone may naturally pick up their phone when it is on hand. Countless studies show that we release dopamine when we pick up our phones, and we naturally seek to do things that release dopamine. Therefore, we can occasionally pick up our phones even when we do not plan to use them. In the case that this happens, the first offense should be a warning rather than a confiscation. However after the first, confiscation and detention is understandable, they were warned and still did not comply.
A more controversial part of the policy is the hallway rule. During passing time you can have it out but once it ends, they have to be put away. This is an acceptable compromise but exceptions are needed. Firstly, if you receive a call from a parent then it should be answered, no questions asked. Secondly, if you get a call from a spam number and your phone starts vibrating, it should not be taken from you. It is not your fault a spam number calls. Some say just to silence it, but oftentimes, your phone will still vibrate on silent. Due to this, these sorts of exceptions have to be allowed.
Regardless, the phone policy is a good achievement the school has reached. There are minor criticisms to be had, but overall it is a logical step forward to mitigating phone usage.
