If you’re a student, have you ever wondered why you can’t have your phone during the school day? Most schools for the 2022-2023 school year let students have their phones on them but don’t allow them to use their phones during class. Many things can happen, like a shooting or fire, and children wouldn’t be able to use their phones to contact a parent or guardian. Students should get the option to have their phones during the school day for emergency and medical purposes. Having phones would also help students learn more easily by enabling them to use Google Docs and other learning apps. Therefore, school administration should allow phones during the school day.
Many states are moving towards not allowing phones during school, even for emergency reasons. According to News.harvard.edu, “bans may help protect classroom focus, but districts need to stay mindful of students’ sense of connection.” In 2020, The National Center for Education Statistics reported that 77% of U.S. schools moved to prohibit cell phones for nonacademic purposes. This means that if school shootings happen, children won’t be able to contact their parents or guardians if they’re in danger. As a person who has experienced a shooting near my school and wasn’t able to contact her parents, I believe that students should be able to have their phones on during school hours. Before the shooting, it was a normal day. Nothing seemed off or suspicious. I didn’t think anything was going to happen that day. Before it happened, I was talking to a friend, looking in the opposite direction from where the shooting happened. Then I heard gunshots, but I thought it was fireworks until I turned around and saw everyone running, so I started running as well. Once everyone got back to the school building, everyone started running to get to class, and some people even started crying because they had never experienced something like this (I was one of those people who were crying). Weeks later, some students were still afraid to go to the field because of the situation. It also had a big impact on how the students reacted to different sounds. So, in the end, I believe that schools should give students the freedom to have their phones on them during school.
Most children with phones also use them for academic reasons. At schools without enough computers, phones can provide access to Google Docs or learning apps. Banning phones in school could mean many kids sit in class and get behind when they could stay on track.
Considering all the facts, school administrations should have never banned phones for medical and emergency purposes during the school day. If schools allow mobile devices during school, learning when computers are not working would be easier. More importantly, if students don’t have their phones on them during the school day, and something does happen during or after school, how will they be able to tell their parents that they love them?
