The Cell Phone Ban

The new phone ban in schools has changed the lives and learning of students in Texas.

Along with the Lone Star State, several other states such as Florida, Louisiana, South Carolina and Utah have banned the use of phones, smartwatches and most technology in classrooms. This ban was enforced in hopes of eliminating distractions in the classroom and encouraging more socialization.

However, the ban is somewhat controversial, particularly regarding student safety and not being able to contact parents in emergency or non-emergency situations. In addition, points have been raised about phones having helpful qualities for students in school such as quick Google searches, faster communication and sending emails. Others believe that phones should not be banned, but instead used to teach responsibility about when and when not to use them—skills that will greatly help students in the future with college or jobs.

So what does this ban change for students? Junior Yaseen Aswad of Meridian School shared the struggles and opportunities this holds for his school year.

“It has forced me to be more social, especially in moments that are more awkward where I normally would pull out my phone,” Aswad said.

This was, in fact, one of the hopes of the ban—that students would interact with each other more and spend less time on screens.

While it can fix lots of issues, it can also create new ones for students this year.

“I wish we could find another way to limit phone use that didn’t have to be an official ban,” Aswad said.

Although there are positive aspects to this ban, it can create difficulty in students’ lives at the same time. In a world that revolves around technology, it is a struggle to have those privileges taken away, forcing students to find new ways of going about their school lives.

Teachers’ lives and classroom environments have also been affected. Some teachers incorporated phones into their lesson plans, including using them for quicker instructions and resources, leaving more time for actual work to be done in class.

“I have had students use their phones to take pictures of things and bring them in for some math lessons,” said Mr. Barnes, a math teacher at Meridian. He explained that it was more ideal, as it’s much quicker to take a photo on their phones than to upload them to Google Drive or email them to a computer for later use. Some students would even take photos in class to use later for notes, which is no longer an option.

Regardless, teachers like Barnes tend to prefer the ban.