A student walks into their classroom on the first day of school, excited for what the day will bring. However, every teacher, when presenting their syllabus, mentions a stricter phone rule where students will have to put their phone away in the classroom’s phone pockets. The question is, who will listen, and is this even the right solution?

As of August 14, MCHSstudents have to follow a strict phone policy straight from the handbook. This policy is being enforced at both the Freshman Campus and Upper Campus. If students don’t follow what the teachers enforce, they will end up in detentions, then turning in phones to the dean, and lastly, social probation.

MCHS 2024-25 handbook states, “Cell phones may not be used in any manner that would cause disruption to the educational environment or would otherwise violate student conduct rules.”

The staff at both campuses are wanting to see success in all students. So the administration is becoming more strict about the phone policy to ensure success in students during school hours.

“I have heard from a lot of staff that cell phones have become the number one distractor in the classroom,” says Freshman Campus Principal Greg Eiserman. “It has had serious impacts on student engagement and on student willingness to interact with each other.”

The phone enforcement came into mind when the principals at both campuses saw research about how cell phones have negatively affected students’ mental health and the ability to study.

Eiserman claims, “I want to do anything I can to help and support student mental health. I think prolonged use of phones is not healthy so providing phone free time is a positive.”

A way teachers could help students with this can be putting their phones in the phone pockets so the students aren’t alone.

The UC Principal Jeffry Prickett wants this policy to last all year and into the future. Hoping that people will get used to it.

“Teachers and administrators have seen that students cannot stay away from the phones,” Prickett said. “It’s an addiction. I mean, you get a notification and you’re all of a sudden thrown off task.”

The main goal that Prickett and Eiserman have in common with promoting this policy is to improve academic performance.

When reaching the end of the year, when the policy is still in full swing, students may realize that their test scores improve. The goal for the phone policy is for the greater good, so giving it a chance could benefit the entirety of MCHS, students and staff alike.