As the school year began, it became apparent that school was not the same place it once was. With new laws, regulations, policies, and rules, the phone ban has affected Texas schools at large. Students are outraged, teachers have no choice but to follow the policies, and staff has become stricter than ever.
“The phone ban is inconvenient and very restricting,” junior Ryleigh Abrams said. “I can’t text my classmates, or make plans with them, and a lot of school assignments require cell phones. I’m also mad that they took away my rights to listen to music.”
Over the summer, Texas implemented a statewide ban on not only cell phones, but every personal electronic device during the school day. This law is for all ages– grades kindergarten through 12. This law is House Bill 1481, a general prohibition on devices including cell phones, smartwatches, Airpods and headphones in the classroom.
“I feel like Texas priorities aren’t straight,” junior Julianna Hunt said. “There’s other things they should be focusing on instead of phones, particularly gun safety. If phones were such a big issue, teachers could just put phone slots in the classrooms.”
According to the San Antonio Report, Texas chose to ban phones for a variety of reasons. The primary reason was to minimize distractions, but aside from a distraction standpoint, administrators expressed concern about the link between social media and mental health.
“You can still learn with a phone,” junior Presley Ford said. “They don’t prevent you from learning.”
Students can only wait to see how this new law affects students, staff, and teachers. Continuing to follow rules and regulations, while implementing punishment and consequences, is the only way to really see if the phone ban is effective or not.
“The phone law has been a very interesting new thing,” junior Aaron Willeford said. “It has opened my eyes to how much time I spend on my phone, and it’s allowed me to take a step back and focus on school.”
