Several years ago, the National Honor Society presented the administration with a proposition. They wanted to permission to use their cell phones during lunch to check LiveGrades to stay updated on their grades. Because of the benefit this could provide to students since lunch and AA are a good time to make up work and check in with teachers, the principals agreed.
Fast forward a few years. Now students aren't using their phones at lunch time to check LiveGrades. Actually, there aren't checking their phones at all.
Put into place this school year, the new cell phone policy has a lot of students stirring, and some are more upset than others.
Two sophomores had pretty reasonable thoughts about the new policy. As one student said, “I think it’s a little bit of both. You can’t take the good without taking the bad.”
As I’ve heard a lot of people say, it’s good for the academic focus, but puts a stop to social communication during school hours.
The new policy forces students to talk face-to-face more, instead of texting when they’re beside each other.
For one student, she said that the policy has not affected her in any way, but the other thought different. “ I think we should at least be able to have them in homeroom when there’s a teacher supervising carefully. At lunch it’s okay, because I’m around my friends.”
The main thing a lot of people miss about lunch is that they can’t show their friends pictures that they’ve found, and that helps spark stories. Students do feel more confident though, because they know that they aren’t being video taped in other people's videos or pictures. Overall, both of these students thought that it was a good move, and they felt that schools are supposed to keep them off their phones. Both of the students made a clear point that there are some times that they are needed more than others.
Lincoln High School has made big changes with electronics over the past few years, and this year is no different. There is plenty of technology readily available for the students to check their LiveGrades, emails, Schoology, and other educational apps.
Lunchtime is now like the way the rest of the day has always been at Lincoln - NO CELL PHONES. There are county and state policies in place that the schools require. Students are required to turn off their phones and keep them put away in their lockers.
As it has always been, if you are caught on your phone, it is automatically taken to the office for the day. The second time your phone is taken, your parents must come to the school to pick it up from the office. After you have several strikes, more severe disciplinary actions will be taken.
Many phones have already been taken as students are adjusting to the new rules. The policy is designed to keep students safe and focused to concentrate during the school day with less distractions for other students and teachers.