New rules have been put in place, not only for Azle, but for the entire state of Texas and its schools. Governor Greg Abbott signed a new state law that bans all phones, iPads, AirPods, smartwatches and any other personal electronics during school hours.
The first time a student is caught with their device, it will be taken up, and they can get it back at the end of the day. For the second offense, students receive detention, and a parent will have to pick up the device. The third offense is the same, but the device will be held for 10 days. And the fourth offense is one day in ISS, the parent has to pick up the device, and it has to be checked in at the office for the rest of the semester.
After years of students having access to technology every day, it can be difficult to adjust to this new policy since students use their phones to contact their parents to inform them of after-school activities and use personal electronics to work on their assignments when they don’t have a school-issued Chromebook.
“I think it’s going to be beneficial for us in the long run,” senior student body president Story Hilliard said. “I know in the beginning that everybody’s going to struggle because it is habitual getting your phones out, but I know that grades are going to increase once students start realizing that they’re capable of learning.”
Some of the reasons cited by politicians and school administrators suggest that the new phone policy can limit inappropriate behavior and help build communication skills for students. While students are upset about the phone law, it is made to help students improve their work ethic, to be more engaged in the work and to teach them not to plagiarize.
“I feel like I do have to trust in the school that if something happened, they would let us know,” librarian Nikki Stroud said. “I think it’s been good for my kids. I feel like they’re also more focused and maybe getting more work done during the school day.”
Most students see the new law as a benefit to our school and future education system. Although this big change will take time and patience, everyone is working hard for the same end goal: better education.
“I think it will benefit us in the future,” senior Jurnee Byrd said. “But as of right now, it’s going to be tough, but I think we’ll get through it at the end of the year.”
Though the teachers and staff are strict and becoming more cautious, this doesn’t stop students from using their phones or other personal devices in school. Students continue to be on their phones by hiding them from teachers and even taking their phones to the bathroom.
“It made me stressed,” one student said, who wished to remain anonymous. “Instead of banning phones, we should be taught about responsibility. Using a ban may keep students silenced, but that doesn’t teach them anything.”
The new law not only affects the students but also the parents. Usually, students would have to inform their parents about any extracurricular activities that are after school hours or when they need to be picked up. Some parents object to the idea of their kids not being able to have their phones during the school day, but other parents feel happy about it.
“As a parent, I feel more confident knowing that my student will not be distracted by their phone or the phone of another student,” mother of a sophomore and senior Charmagne Tucker said. “I truly hope that this phone policy will remain. Kids need to be kids without the pressures of nonstop worries about their phones.”