The 2023-2024 school year starts off with a bang: the sound of a phone caddy hitting the wall of every classroom in Buffalo Grove High School. What once was a distraction, an escape from boredom, and a source of communication, is now wall art. New year, new rules.
As of August 15, it was made public that BG, and other District 214 schools, would be enabling a no phone policy in its classrooms. Teachers were made aware of this change over the summer and have already begun the process of enforcing the phone ban.
The policy itself reads, “The use of cell phones and other electronic devices is prohibited in academic spaces. Cell phones must be put away and unused during instructional time.”
According to the Division Heads for Student Success, Safety and Wellness, Danielle Ossman, César Rosales, and Matt Wrobel in an email to students and parents, “We know that when students are engaged and on task in class, they are proven to be more successful.”
The phone ban is in addition to the newly added: nine minute tardy policy, one-entrance lunchroom, heightened absence policies, and “no fly zone”. These policies will work to change the BG culture, but not without resistance.
“When something’s new, it can feel to the students that they are having a right taken away from them,” Education Pathway instructor Tim Kosiek said.
To many, the embargo feels like another obstacle in their academic experience. Phones have become a part of everyday life so to have them banned from the classroom is a divergence from what many are used to.
“It’s beneficial when working on a hands-on activity in class, but it’s hard to maintain focus for eighty minutes without taking breaks,” senior Kayla Cichy said.
Opposition to the policy has developed a strong voice in the BG halls, yet some Bison feel the policy is advantageous to their education. The absence of the hand held distraction has allowed many students to flourish.
“I haven’t been mandating the phone caddy everyday but my classes know that it’s a possibility and they have been more mindful because of it,” Kosiek said.
Many argue that since there was a time when no one had phones in school, this policy is completely feasible to install. Others may say that in this day and age, it isn’t necessary or beneficial to remove phones from the classroom when they are a part of everyday life.
“Personally, the phone policy has been up for a month now and I haven’t experienced any academic changes, but who knows,” Cichy said.
The no phone policy will be an adjustment for students and staff alike. The only way to determine whether or not the policy is effective and necessary is to play it out.
“I honestly appreciate having time away from my phone,” senior Lucien Perez said. “I wasn’t crazy about the policy at first but now it’s not that bad.”
